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 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  01-  1939 
 Before  the  Federal  Communications  Commission 
 Washington,  D.  C.  20554 


 In  the  matter  of 
 Accounting  Safeguards  Under  the 
 Telecommunications  Act  of  1996 


 )  ) 
 )  ) 
 )  ) 
 CC  Docket  No.  96-  150 


 ORDER 
 Adopted:  August  14,  2001  Released:  August  15,  2001 
 By  the  Chief,  Accounting  Safeguards  Division: 
 1.  On  June  21,  2001,  the  Common  Carrier  Bureau  (“  Bureau”)  released  a  public  notice 
 seeking  comment  on  the  audit  report  of  Verizon  Communications,  Inc.  (“  Verizon”)  in  accordance  with 
 the  Commission’s  rules  and  procedures  implementing  section  272(  d)  of  the  Communications  Act  of  1934, 
 as  amended.  We  grant  an  extension  of  time  for  filing  comments  to  resolve  certain  issues  explained 
 below. 


 2.  On  June  11,  2001,  Verizon  submitted  its  first  section  272(  d)  biennial  audit  report 
 addressing  its  compliance  with  the  section  272  non-  accounting  and  accounting  safeguards.  Verizon 
 supplemented  its  submission  on  June  18,  2001.  Verizon  requested  confidential  treatment  of  some 
 information  contained  in  the  section  272(  d)  biennial  audit  report.  As  a  result,  Verizon  submitted  both 
 redacted  and  complete  versions  of  its  section  272(  d)  biennial  audit  report.  Pursuant  to  the  Commission’s 
 rules,  the  Bureau  established  a  sixty-  day  period  for  public  comment.  The  redacted  version  of  the  audit 
 report  was  available  to  commenters. 


 3.  On  August  7,  2001,  AT&  T  Corporation  (“  AT&  T”)  submitted  a  letter  requesting  access  to 
 the  redacted  information  and  an  extension  of  time  to  review  the  audit  report  without  the  current 
 redactions.  In  addition,  AT&  T  raises  certain  issues  regarding  Verizon’s  request  for  confidential 
 treatment. 


 4.  We  grant  an  extension  of  time  until  October  22,  2001  for  submitting  comments  on 
 Verizon’s  section  272(  d)  biennial  audit  report.  An  extension  of  time  will  afford  the  Bureau  an 
 opportunity  to  evaluate  and  consider  the  issues  raised,  while  preserving  the  public’s  ability  to  comment  on 
 the  audit  report. 


 5.  IT  IS  THEREFORE  ORDERED  that,  pursuant  to  47  C.  F.  R.  ††  0.91,  0.201-  0.  204,  1.  3, 
 53.209-  53.213,  the  comment  period  for  the  Verizon  section  272(  d)  biennial  audit  report  IS  EXTENDED 
 to  October  22,  2001. 


 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION 


 Kenneth  P.  Moran 
 Chief,  Accounting  Safeguards  Division,  CCB 
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