Notice2021-19851
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Extend the Expiration Date of the Temporary Amendments Concerning Video Conference Hearings
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Published
September 15, 2021
Issuing agencies
Securities and Exchange Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 176 (Wednesday, September 15, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51404-51406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19851]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-92906; File No. SR-Phlx-2021-49]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Extend the
Expiration Date of the Temporary Amendments Concerning Video Conference
Hearings
September 9, 2021.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that
on August 31, 2021, Nasdaq PHLX LLC (``Phlx'' or ``Exchange'') filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'' or ``Commission'')
the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which
Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Exchange has designated
the proposed rule change as constituting a ``non-controversial'' rule
change under paragraph (f)(6) of Rule 19b-4 under the Act,\3\ which
renders the proposal effective upon receipt of this filing by the
Commission. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
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\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to extend the expiration date of the
temporary amendments in SR-Phlx-2020-53 from August 31, 2021, to
December 31, 2021.\4\ The proposed rule change would not make any
changes to the text of the Exchange rules.
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\4\ If the Exchange seeks to provide additional temporary relief
from the rule requirements identified in this proposed rule change
beyond December 31, 2021, the Exchange will submit a separate rule
filing to further extend the temporary extension of time. The
amended Exchange rules will revert to their original form at the
conclusion of the temporary relief period and any extension thereof.
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The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's
website at <a href="https://listingcenter.nasdaq.com/rulebook/phlx/rules">https://listingcenter.nasdaq.com/rulebook/phlx/rules</a>, at the
principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public
Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements
concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and
discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in
Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in
sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to continue to harmonize Exchange Rule
General 3, Section 16 with recent changes by the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, Inc. (``FINRA'') to its Rule 1015 in response to
the COVID-19 global health crisis and the corresponding need to
restrict in-person activities.\5\ The Exchange originally filed
proposed rule change SR-Phlx-2020-53, which allows the Exchange Review
Council (``ERC'') to conduct hearings in connection with appeals of
Membership Application Program decisions, on a temporary basis, by
video conference, if warranted by the current COVID-19-related public
health risks posed by an in-person hearing. In April 2021, the Exchange
filed a proposed rule change, SR-Phlx-2021-027, to extend the
expiration date of the temporary amendments in SR-Phlx-2020-53 from
April 30, 2021, to August 31, 2021.\6\ While there are signs of
[[Page 51405]]
improvement, much uncertainty remains for the coming months. The
emergence of the Delta variant, dissimilar vaccination rates throughout
the United States, and the uptick in transmissions in many locations
indicate that COVID-19 remains an active and real public health
concern.\7\ Based on its assessment of current COVID-19 conditions and
the lack of a clear timeframe for a sustained and widespread abatement
of COVID-19-related health concerns and corresponding restrictions,\8\
the Exchange has determined that there is a continued need for
temporary relief for several months beyond August 31, 2021.
Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to extend the expiration date of the
temporary rule amendments in SR-Phlx-2020-53 from August 31, 2021, to
December 31, 2021.
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\5\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 92685 (August 17,
2021), No. 92685 (August 17, 2021), 86 FR 47169 (August 23, 2021)
(SR-FINRA-2021-019) (``FINRA Filing''). The Exchange notes that the
FINRA Filing also proposed to temporarily amend FINRA Rules 9261,
9524, and 9830, which govern hearings in connection with appeals of
disciplinary actions, eligibility proceedings, and temporary and
permanent cease and desist orders. The Exchange's Rules 9261, 9524,
and 9830 incorporate by reference The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC rules,
which are the subject of a separate filing. See SR-NASDAQ-2021-067
(August 30, 2021). Therefore, the Exchange is not proposing to adopt
that aspect of the FINRA Filing.
\6\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 91766 (May 4, 2021),
86 FR 25014 (May 10, 2021) (Notice of Filing and Immediate
Effectiveness of File No. SR-Phlx-2021-027); see also Securities
Exchange Act Release No. 90758 (December 21, 2020), 85 FR 85782
(December 29, 2020) (Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
File No. SR-Phlx-2020-053).
\7\ For example, President Joe Biden on July 29, 2021, announced
several measures to increase the number of people vaccinated against
COVID-19 and to slow the spread of the Delta variant, including
strengthening safety protocols for federal government employees and
contractors. See <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/29/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-announce-new-actions-to-get-more-americans-vaccinated-and-slow-the-spread-of-the-delta-variant/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/29/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-announce-new-actions-to-get-more-americans-vaccinated-and-slow-the-spread-of-the-delta-variant/</a>.
\8\ For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
on July 27, 2021, began recommending that fully vaccinated people
wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or
high transmission and noted that fully vaccinated people might
choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission,
particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for
severe disease from COVID-19. See <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html">https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html</a>. Also, several
cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, New Haven and San
Francisco, have recently reinstated their mask mandates.
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As set forth in SR-Phlx-2020-53, the Exchange also relies on COVID-
19 data and criteria to determine whether the current public health
risks presented by an in-person hearing may warrant a hearing by video
conference. Based on that data and criteria, the Exchange does not
believe the COVID-19-related health concerns necessitating this relief
will meaningfully subside by August 31, 2021, and has determined that
there will be a continued need for this temporary relief for several
months beyond that date. Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to extend
the expiration date of the temporary rule amendments originally set
forth in SR-Phlx-2020-53 from August 31, 2021, to December 31, 2021.
The extension of these temporary amendments allowing for specified ERC
hearings to proceed by video conference will allow the Exchange's
critical adjudicatory functions to continue to operate effectively in
these extraordinary circumstances--enabling the Exchange to fulfill its
statutory obligations to protect investors and maintain fair and
orderly markets--while also protecting the health and safety of hearing
participants.
The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change for immediate
effectiveness and has requested that the SEC waive the requirement that
the proposed rule change not become operative for 30 days after the
date of the filing, so the Exchange can implement the proposed rule
change immediately.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that its proposal is consistent with Section
6(b) of the Act,\9\ in general, and furthers the objectives of Section
6(b)(5) of the Act,\10\ in particular, in that it is designed to
promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove impediments
to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and a national
market system, and, in general to protect investors and the public
interest, by providing greater harmonization between the Exchange rules
and FINRA rules of similar purpose,\11\ resulting in less burdensome
and more efficient regulatory compliance.
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\9\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\10\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
\11\ See supra note 5.
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The proposed rule change, which extends the expiration date of the
temporary amendments to the Exchange rules set forth in SR-Phlx-2020-
53, will continue to aid the Exchange's efforts to timely conduct
hearings in connection with its core adjudicatory functions. Given the
current and frequently changing COVID-19 conditions and the uncertainty
around when those conditions will see meaningful, widespread and
sustained improvement, without this relief allowing ERC hearings to
continue to proceed by video conference, the Exchange might be required
to postpone some or almost all hearings indefinitely. The Exchange must
be able to perform its critical adjudicatory functions in order to
fulfill its statutory obligations to protect investors and maintain
fair and orderly markets. As such, this relief is essential to the
Exchange's ability to fulfill its statutory obligations and allows
hearing participants to avoid the serious COVID-19-related health and
safety risks associated with in-person hearings.
Among other things, this relief will allow the ERC to timely
provide members, disqualified individuals and other applicants an
approval or denial of their applications. As set forth in detail in SR-
Phlx-2020-53, this temporary relief allowing ERC hearings to proceed by
video conference accounts for fair process considerations and will
continue to provide fair process while avoiding the COVID-19-related
public health risks for hearing participants. Accordingly, the proposed
rule change extending this temporary relief is in the public interest
and consistent with the Act's purpose.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the temporary proposed rule
change will impose any burden on competition not necessary or
appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. As set forth in
SR-Phlx-2020-53, the proposed rule change is intended solely to extend
temporary relief necessitated by the continued impacts of the COVID-19
outbreak and the related health and safety risks of conducting in-
person activities. The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change
will prevent unnecessary impediments to its operations, including its
critical adjudicatory processes, and its ability to fulfill its
statutory obligations to protect investors and maintain fair and
orderly markets that would otherwise result if the temporary amendments
were to expire on August 31, 2021.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were either solicited or received.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Because the foregoing proposed rule change does not: (i)
Significantly affect the protection of investors or the public
interest; (ii) impose any significant burden on competition; and (iii)
become operative for 30 days from the date on which it was filed, or
such shorter time as the Commission may designate, it has become
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \12\ and
subparagraph (f)(6) of Rule 19b-4 thereunder.\13\
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\12\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
\13\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6). In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)
requires a self-regulatory organization to give the Commission
written notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change at
least five business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed
rule change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission.
The Exchange has satisfied this requirement.
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[[Page 51406]]
A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) \14\ normally
does not become operative prior to 30 days after the date of the
filing. However, pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii),\15\ the Commission
may designate a shorter time if such action is consistent with the
protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange has asked
the Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that the proposal
may become operative immediately upon filing. The Exchange has
indicated that the proposed rule change to extend the expiration date
will continue to prevent unnecessary impediments to its operations,
including its critical adjudicatory processes, and its ability to
fulfill its statutory obligations to protect investors and maintain
fair and orderly markets that would otherwise result if the temporary
amendments were to expire on August 31, 2021.\16\ Importantly,
extending the relief provided in SR-Phlx-2020-53 immediately upon
filing and without a 30-day operative delay will allow the Exchange to
continue critical adjudicatory and review processes in a reasonable and
fair manner and meet its critical investor protection goals, while also
following best practices with respect to the health and safety of its
employees.\17\ The Commission also notes that this proposal extends
without change the temporary relief previously provided by SR-Phlx-
2020-53.\18\ As proposed, the changes would be in place through
December 31, 2021 and the amended rules will revert back to their
original state at the conclusion of the temporary relief period and, if
applicable, any extension thereof.\19\ For these reasons, the
Commission believes that waiver of the 30-day operative delay for this
proposal is consistent with the protection of investors and the public
interest. Accordingly, the Commission hereby waives the 30-day
operative delay and designates the proposal operative upon filing.\20\
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\14\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
\15\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
\16\ See supra Item II.
\17\ See FINRA Filing, 86 FR at 47171 (noting the same in
granting FINRA's request to waive the 30-day operative delay so that
SR-FINRA-2021-019 would become operative immediately upon filing).
\18\ See supra note 6.
\19\ See supra note 4. As noted above, the Exchange states that
if it requires temporary relief from the rule requirements
identified in this proposal beyond December 31, 2021, it may submit
a separate rule filing to extend the effectiveness of the temporary
relief under these rules.
\20\ For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay,
the Commission has considered the proposed rule change's impact on
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C.
78c(f).
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At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings to
determine whether the proposed rule should be approved or disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
<bullet> Use the Commission's internet comment form (<a href="http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml">http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml</a>); or
<bullet<ls-thn-eq> Send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#146661787139777b7979717a6067546771773a737b62"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f98b8c959cd49a9694949c978d8ab98a9c9ad79e968f">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
include File Number SR-Phlx-2021-49 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
<bullet> Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-Phlx-2021-49. This file
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's internet website (<a href="http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml">http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml</a>).
Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written
statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with
the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those
that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions
of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website viewing and printing in
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC
20549, on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and
3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for inspection
and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit
personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit
only information that you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File Number SR-Phlx-2021-49 and should be
submitted on or before October 6, 2021.
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\21\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\21\
J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-19851 Filed 9-14-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
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