[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR703.3]

[Page 537]
 
                     TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
 
                   CHAPTER I--FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
 
PART 703--INFORMAL DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 703.3  Mechanism organization.

    (a) The Mechanism shall be funded and competently staffed at a level 
sufficient to ensure fair and expeditious resolution of all disputes, 
and shall not charge consumers any fee for use of the Mechanism.
    (b) The warrantor and the sponsor of the Mechanism (if other than 
the warrantor) shall take all steps necessary to ensure that the 
Mechanism, and its members and staff, are sufficiently insulated from 
the warrantor and the sponsor, so that the decisions of the members and 
the performance of the staff are not influenced by either the warrantor 
or the sponsor. Necessary steps shall include, at a minimum, committing 
funds in advance, basing personnel decisions solely on merit, and not 
assigning conflicting warrantor or sponsor duties to Mechanism staff 
persons.
    (c) The Mechanism shall impose any other reasonable requirements 
necessary to ensure that the members and staff act fairly and 
expeditiously in each dispute.