FTC Reviews Industry Guides for Mirror and Vocational Schools Industries

As part of its ongoing periodic review of its rules and guides and in keeping with the objective to eliminate obsolete or unnecessary regulatory requirements, the Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on two of its guides -- the Guides for Private Vocational Schools and the Guides for the Mirror Industry. The FTC requests comments about the overall costs and benefits of the guides and their regulatory and economic impact. The Guides for the Mirror Industry were published in the Federal Register on March 15, and will be subject to public comment until April 15. The Guides for Private Vocational Schools are scheduled to published in the Federal Register today and comments will be accepted until June 3.

• Guides for Private Vocational Schools -- provide guidance about acceptable or unacceptable claims in advertisements or promotional materials for resident or correspondence courses or training or instruction programs by private career or vocational schools. Specifically, the guides pertain to claims about the nature of the school, its accreditation, methods of teaching and available employment opportunities. The guides have been in effect since August 1972.
• Guides for the Mirror Industry -- provide guidance about acceptable or unacceptable claims in advertisements or promotional materials used during the sale or distribution of mirrors. Specifically, the guides make it an unfair or deceptive act or practice to misrepresent such things as the type, grade, quality, material, strength or composition of mirrors; or to misrepresent the type or composition of glass contained in any mirror. The guides were promulgated in June 1962, and amended in June 1972.

The Commission seeks public comment on the following questions:

• Is there a continuing need for the guides?
• What benefits have these guides provided to purchasers of the products or services affected by them?
• Have these guides imposed costs on purchasers?
• What changes, if any, should be made to these guides to reduce the burden or costs imposed on the forms subject to their requirements?
• Do the guides overlap or conflict with other federal, state, or local laws or regulations?
• Are there problems today in the marketing of vocational school programs or correspondence courses?
• Since the Mirror Guides and the Guides for Private Vocational Schools were issued, what effect, if any, have changes in relevant technology or economic conditions had on them?

Comments should be addressed to: Secretary, Federal Trade Commission, Room 159, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Comments about the Mirror Guides should be identified as “16 CFR Part 21 -- Comment.” Comments on the Vocational Schools Guides should be identified as “16 CFR Part 254 -- Comment.”

The Commission votes to publish the Federal Register notices concerning the two guides were 5-0.

Copies of the Federal Register notices, and the guides, are available from the FTC’s Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710. FTC news releases and other materials also are available on the Internet at the FTC’s World Wide Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov

(FTC File Nos. Mirrors - P967514; Vocational Schools - P964220)