§ 1102.2 - Definitions.

§ 1102.2 Definitions.

Act means the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended.

Commercial-use request refers to a request from or on behalf of one who seeks information for a cause or purpose that furthers the commercial, trade, or profit interests of the requester or person on whose behalf the request is made. In determining whether a requester properly belongs in this category, the Section will consider how the requester will use the documents.

Commissioner means head of the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico.

Direct costs means those expenditures which the Section actually incurs in searching for and duplicating (and in the case of commercial requesters, reviewing) documents to respond to a FOIA request. Direct costs include, for example, the salary of the employee performing work (the basic rate of pay for the employee plus 16 percent of that rate to cover benefits) and the cost of operating duplicating machinery. Not included in direct costs are overhead expenses such as costs of space, and heating or lighting the facility where the records are stored.

Disclose or disclosure means making records available, on request for examination and copying, or furnishing a copy of records.

Duplication refers to the process of making a copy of a document in response to a FOIA request. Such copies can take the form of paper, microform, audiovisual materials, or machine-readable documentation. The Section will provide a copy of the material in a form that is usable by the requester unless it is administratively burdensome to do so.

Educational institution refers to a preschool, a public or private elementary or secondary school, an institution of graduate higher education, an institution of undergraduate higher education, an institution of professional education, and an institution of vocational education, which operates a program or programs of scholarly research.

Noncommercial scientific institution refers to an institution that is not operated on a “commercial” basis as that term is referenced above, and which is operated solely for the purpose of conducting scientific research the results of which are not intended to promote any particular product or industry.

Person or Requester includes any individual, firm, corporation, organization or other entity.

Records and/or information are defined as all books, papers, manuals, maps, photographs, or other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received by the Section under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business or in carrying out its treaty responsibilities and obligations, and preserved or appropriate for preservation by the Section as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the Government or because of the information value of the data in them, but does not include books, magazines or other material acquired solely for library purposes and through other sources, and does not include analyses, computations, or compilations of information not extant at the time of the request. The term “records” does not include objects or articles such as structures, furniture, paintings, sculptures, three-dimensional models, vehicles, and equipment.

Representative of the news media refers to any person actively gathering news for an entity that is organized and operated to publish or broadcast news to the public. The term “news” means information that is about current events or that would be of current interest to the public. Examples of news media include television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large, and publishers of periodicals (but only those instances when they can qualify as disseminators of “news”) who make their products available for purchase or subscription by the general public. In the case of “freelance” journalists, they may be regarded as working for a news organization if they can demonstate a solid basis for expecting publication through that organization even though not actually employed by it.

Request means a letter or other written communication seeking records or information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Review refers to the process of examining documents located in response to a request that is for commercial use to determine if any portion of that document is permitted to be withheld, and processing any document for disclosure (i.e., doing all that is necessary to excise them and otherwise prepare them for release). It does not include time spent resolving general legal or policy issues regarding the application of exemptions.

Search includes all time spent looking for material that is responsive to a request, including page-by-page or line-by-line identification of material within documents. Searches should be performed in the most efficient and least expensive manner so as to minimize costs for both the Section and the requester; for example, line-by-line searches should not be undertaken when it would be more efficient to duplicate the entire document. Note that such activity should be distinguished from “review” of material in determining whether the material is exempt from disclosure. Searches may be done manually or by computer using existing programming.

The Section means United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico.

All terms used in this part which are defined in 5 U.S.C. 552 shall have the same meaning herein.