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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  445  12th  STREET,  S.  W.  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.  20554  DA  01-  16 
 News  media  information  202/  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202/  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov 
 CITIZENS  UTILITIES  RURAL  COMPANY,  INC.  AND  QWEST  CORPORATION 
 SEEK  A  WAIVER  OF  THE  DEFINITION  OF  "STUDY  AREA"  IN  PART  36  OF  THE 
 COMMISSION'S  RULES 


 PLEADING  CYCLE  ESTABLISHED 
 CC  Docket  No.  96-  45 
 Release  Date:  January  4,  2001 
 Comment  Date:  January  24,  2001 
 Reply  Comment  Date:  February  5,  2001 


 On  December  20,  2000,  Citizens  Utilities  Rural  Company,  Inc.  (Citizens)  and  Qwest 
 Corporation  (Qwest)  filed  a  joint  petition  for  waiver  of  the  definition  of  "study  area"  as  set  forth 
 in  Part  36  of  the  Commission's  rules.  That  definition  constitutes  a  rule  freezing  all  study  area 
 boundaries.  Citizens  is  acquiring  from  Qwest  38  telephone  exchanges  serving  approximately  158,000 
 access  lines  in  Arizona  and  approximately  300  access  lines  in  Utah.  By  this  waiver,  Qwest  seeks  to 
 alter  its  Arizona  study  area  in  order  to  remove  the  telephone  exchanges  being  transferred  to  Citizens. 
 Citizens  seeks  a  waiver  of  the  study  area  freeze  to  establish  a  new  Arizona  study  area  consisting  of  the 
 telephone  exchanges  it  is  acquiring  from  Qwest.  The  petitioners  submitted  Orders  from  the  Arizona 
 Corporation  Commission  and  the  Public  Service  Commission  of  Utah  indicating  that  they  have  no 
 objection  to  the  issuance  of  a  study  area  waiver  associated  with  Citizens’  acquisition  of  the  38 
 telephone  exchanges. 


 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  January  24,  2001,  and  reply  comments 
 on  or  before  February  5,  2001.  Comments  may  be  filed  using  the  Commission's  Electronic 
 Comment  Filing  System  (ECFS)  or  by  filing  paper  copies.  See  Electronic  Filing  of  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- 
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 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  Adrian  Wright,  Accounting  Policy  Division,  Common 
 Carrier  Bureau  at  (202)  418-  7400,  TTY  (202)  418-  0484. 
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