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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  445  12th  STREET,  S.  W.  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.  20554  DA  00-  237  News  media  information  202/  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202/  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov 
 PETITION  OF  AMSC  SUBSIDIARY  CORPORATION  FOR  CLARIFICATION  OF  SECTIONS  54.601(  C)  AND  54.506  OF  THE  COMMISSION’S  RULES 
 PLEADING  CYCLE  ESTABLISHED 
 CC  Docket  No.  96-  45 
 Release  Date:  February  9,  2000 
 Comment  Date:  February  23,  2000  Reply  Comment  Date:  March  6,  2000 


 On  November  24,  1999,  AMSC  Subsidiary  Corporation  (AMSC)  filed  a  petition  requesting  the  Commission  to  clarify  two  of  its  rules  applicable  to  Universal  Service  Fund  (USF) 
 support  for  rural  health  care  providers.  1  AMSC  states  that  it  is  now  in  a  position  to  offer  critical  emergency  communications  services  to  Indians  throughout  the  United  States,  without  the  need  to 
 construct  and  deploy  costly  wireline  infrastructure.  To  initiate  the  process  of  offering  these  emergency  services,  AMSC  requests  that  the  Commission  either  issue  in  the  pending  proceeding 
 relating  to  the  unserved  and  tribal  areas  2  a  preliminary  order  that  the  rural  health  care  support  mechanism  will  support  the  leasing  of  AMSC’s  Mobile  Satellite  Service  (MSS)  terminals,  or 
 waive  the  rules  currently  precluding  such  support.  AMSC  also  seeks  clarification  of  section  54.506  of  the  Commission’s  rules  regarding  the  determination  of  the  “urban  rate”  for  purposes  of 
 calculating  the  discount  applicable  to  the  provision  of  emergency  communications  services  on  tribal  lands. 


 Pursuant  to  sections  1.415  and  1.419  of  the  Commission's  rules,  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  1.415,  1.419,  interested  parties  may  file  comments  on  or  before  February  23,  2000,  and  reply 
 comments  on  or  before  March  6,  2000.  Comments  may  be  filed  using  the  Commission's  Electronic  Comment  Filing  System  (ECFS)  or  by  filing  paper  copies.  See  Electronic  Filing  of 


 1  AMSC  Subsidiary  Corporation,  Emergency  Petition  for  Clarification  of  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  54.601(  c),  54.506,  filed 
 November  24,  1999. 
 2  Federal  State  Joint  Board  on  Universal  Service:  Promoting  Deployment  and  Subscribership  in  Unserved  and 
 Underserved  Areas,  Including  Tribal  and  Insular  Areas,  CC  Docket  No.  96-  45,  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  FCC  99-  204  (rel.  Sept.  3,  1999),  published  in  64  F.  R.  52738  (Sept.  30,  1999). 
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 Documents  in  Rulemaking  Proceedings,  63  Fed.  Reg.  24,121  (1998).  Comments  filed  through  the  ECFS  can  be  sent  as  an  electronic  file  via  the  Internet  to  <http://  www.  fcc.  gov/  e-file/ 
 ecfs.  html>.  Generally,  only  one  copy  of  an  electronic  submission  must  be  filed.  If  multiple  docket  or  rulemaking  numbers  appear  in  the  caption  of  this  proceeding,  however,  commenters 
 must  transmit  one  electronic  copy  of  the  comments  to  each  docket  or  rulemaking  number  referenced  in  the  caption.  In  completing  the  transmittal  screen,  commenters  should  include  their 
 full  name,  Postal  Service  mailing  address,  and  the  applicable  docket  or  rulemaking  number.  Parties  may  also  submit  electronic  comments  by  Internet  e-  mail.  To  receive  filing  instructions 
 for  e-  mail  comments,  commenters  should  send  an  e-  mail  to  ecfs@  fcc.  gov,  and  should  include  the  following  words  in  the  body  of  the  message,  "get  form  <your  e-  mail  address."  A  sample 
 form  and  directions  will  be  sent  in  reply.  Parties  who  choose  to  file  by  paper  must  file  an  original  and  four  copies  of  each  filing.  If  more  than  one  docket  or  rulemaking  number  appears  in 
 the  caption  of  this  proceeding,  commenters  must  submit  two  additional  copies  for  each  additional  docket  or  rulemaking  number.  All  filings  must  be  sent  to  the  Commission's  Secretary, 
 Magalie  Roman  Salas,  Office  of  the  Secretary,  Federal  Communications  Commission,  445  12th  Street,  S.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C.  20554. 


 Parties  also  must  send  three  paper  copies  of  their  filing  to  Sheryl  Todd,  Accounting  Policy  Division,  Common  Carrier  Bureau,  Federal  Communications  Commission,  445  Twelfth 
 Street  S.  W.,  Room  5-  B540,  Washington,  D.  C.  20554.  In  addition,  commenters  must  send  diskette  copies  to  the  Commission's  copy  contractor,  International  Transcription  Service,  Inc., 
 1231  20th  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C.  20037. 
 Pursuant  to  section  1.1206  of  the  Commission's  Rules,  47  C.  F.  R.  §  1.1206,  this  proceeding  will  be  conducted  as  a  permit-  but-  disclose  proceeding  in  which  ex  parte 
 communications  are  permitted  subject  to  disclosure. 
 For  further  information,  contact  Praveen  Goyal,  Accounting  Policy  Division,  Common  Carrier  Bureau  at  (202)  418-  7400,  TTY  (202)  418-  0484. 
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