Sec. 0.504  Processing requests for declassification.

    (a) Responses to mandatory declassification review requests shall be 
governed by the amount of search and review time required to process the 
request. A final determination shall be made within one year from the 
date of receipt of the request, except in unusual circumstances.
    (b) Upon a determination by the bureau or office that the requested 
material originally classified by the Commission no longer warrants 
protection, it shall be declassified and made available to the 
requester, unless withholding is otherwise authorized under law.
    (c) If the information may not be declassified or released in whole 
or in part, the requester shall be notified as

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to the reasons for the denial, given notice of the right to appeal the 
denial to the Classification Review Committee, and given notice that 
such an appeal must be filed within 60 days of the date of denial in 
order to be considered.
    (d) The Commission's Classification Review Committee, consisting of 
the Managing Director (Chairman), the General Counsel or his designee, 
and the Chief, Internal Review and Security Division, shall have 
authority to act, within 30 days, upon all appeals regarding denials of 
requests for mandatory declassification of Commission-originated 
classifications. The Committee shall be authorized to overrule previous 
determinations in whole or in part when, in its judgment, continued 
classification is no longer required. If the Committee determines that 
continued classification is required under the criteria of the Order, 
the requester shall be promptly notified and advised that an application 
for review may be filed with the Commission pursuant to 47 CFR 1.115.