(a) Charges for requests. The following charges may be made where applicable for responding to requests for records.

(1) $4.75 for each quarter hour spent by clerical personnel in searching for or reviewing records.

(2) When a search or review cannot be performed by clerical personnel, $10.25 for each quarter hour spent by professional personnel in searching or reviewing records.

(3) When searches require the expertise of a computer specialist, staff time for programming and performing searches will be charged at $10.25 per quarter hour. For searches of records stored on personal computers used as workstations by Commission staff and shared access network servers, the computer processing time is included in the search time for the staff member using the workstation as set forth in paragraph (a) of this appendix.

(4) Document duplication, including computer printouts, will be charged at $0.15 per page.

(5) For copies of materials other than paper records, the requester will be charged the actual cost of materials and reproduction, including the time of clerical personnel at a rate of $4.75 per quarter hour.

(6) When a request has been made and granted to examine Commission records at an office of the Commission other than the office in which the records are routinely maintained, the requester:

(i) Will reimburse the Commission for the actual cost of transporting the records; and

(ii) Will be charged at a rate of $4.75 for each quarter hour spent by clerical personnel in preparing the records for transit.

(7) For certifying that requested records are true copies, the charge will be $3.00 per certification.

(8) Upon request, records will be mailed by means of overnight or express mail at the fee of $10.00 per package mailed.

(b) Waiver or reduction of fees. Fees will be waived or reduced by the Commission if:

(1) The fee is less than or equal to $10.00, the approximate cost to the Commission of collecting the fee; or,

(2) If the Commission determines that the disclosure of the information is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.

(c) Applicability of fees. Fees shall be charged even if no records are ultimately furnished to the requester. Fees apply to various types of requests as follows.

(1) Commercial use request. Fees for search time, review time and duplication of records will be charged to requests from or on behalf of one who seeks information for a user or purpose that furthers the commercial, trade or profit interests of the requester or the person on whose behalf the request is made.

(2) Educational institution or noncommercial scientific institution. Only duplication fees will be charged to schools or to organizations which operate solely for the purpose of scientific research, the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry. No charge will be made for the first 100 pages duplicated or for search or review time.

(3) Representative of the news media. Only duplication fees will be charged to any person actively gathering news for an entity that is organized and operated to publish or broadcast news to the public. No charge will be made for the first 100 pages duplicated or for search or review time.

(4) Other requesters. Fees for search time and duplication will be charged to requesters who are not covered by one of the categories above. No charge will be made for the first two hours of search time, the first 100 pages of duplication, or for review time. If the search is for records stored in a computer format, a combination of computer operation charges and search time charges will be waived up to the equivalent of two hours of professional search time.

(d) Aggregation of requests. For purposes of determining fees, the Commission may aggregate reasonably related requests if multiple requests are made within a 30-day period or if there is a solid basis for believing that multiple requests were made solely to avoid fees.

(e) Notification of fees. A request for Commission records may state that the party is willing to pay fees up to a stated limit for services to be provided in searching, reviewing and duplicating requested records. If such a statement is made, no work will be done that will result in fees beyond the stated limit without written authorization. If no limit is stated, no work will be done that will result in fees in excess of $25.00 without written authorization from the requester.

(f) Advance payment of fees. The Commission may request advance payment of all or part of the fee (i) when fees are expected to exceed $250; or (ii) when a requester has previously failed to pay fees in a timely fashion.

(g) Payment of fees. Payment should be made by check or money order payable to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

(h) Interest on fees. The Commission will begin charging interest on unpaid bills starting on the 31th day following the day on which the bill was sent. Interest will be at the rate prescribed in 31 U.S.C. 3717.

(i) Collection of fees. If fees not paid, the Commission may disclose debts to appropriate authorities for collection or to consumer reporting agencies.