(a) All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this subpart.

(b) Except as provided in §0.603, every portion of every meeting shall be open to public observation. Observation does not include participation or disruptive conduct by observers, and persons engaging in such conduct will be removed from the meeting.

(c) The right of the public to observe open meetings does not alter those rules in this chapter which relate to the filing of motions, pleadings, or other documents. Unless such pleadings conform to the other procedural requirements of this chapter, pleadings based upon comments or discussions at open meetings, as a general rule, will not become part of the official record, will receive no consideration, and no further action by the Commission will be taken thereon.

(d) Deliberations, discussions, comments or observations made during the course of open meetings do not themselves constitute action of the Commission. Comments made by Commissioners may be advanced for purposes of discussion and may not reflect the ultimate position of a Commissioner.

[42 FR 12867, Mar. 7, 1977, as amended at 45 FR 63491, Sept. 25, 1980]