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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov 
 ftp.  fcc.  gov 
 DA  01-  2204  Released:  September  21,  2001 
 COMMON  CARRIER  BUREAU  GRANTS  CENTURYTEL,  INC.  MOTION  TO  WITHDRAW  PETITION  FOR  WAIVER  OF  711  IMPLEMENTATION  RULES 
 CC  DOCKET  NO.  92-  105  NSD  File  No.  L-  01-  144 
 On  June  5,  2001,  CenturyTel,  Inc.  (CenturyTel)  filed  a  petition  for  waiver  of  the  Commission’s 
 rules  requiring  all  telecommunications  carriers  to  implement  by  October  1,  2001  nationwide  access  to 
 telecommunications  relay  services  (TRS)  for  persons  with  hearing  and  speech  disabilities  via  the 
 abbreviated  dialing  code  711.  1  CenturyTel  sought  to  exclude  from  the  requirement  15  switches  that  it  had 
 determined  could  not  be  upgraded  to  handle  711  calls  by  the  October  1,  2001  deadline.  2  CenturyTel 
 stated  that  these  switches  were  not  suitable  for  upgrading  and  proposed  a  plan  to  replace  the  switches  by 
 the  fourth  quarter  of  2002. 


 The  Common  Carrier  Bureau  released  a  Public  Notice  on  August  24,  2001  seeking  comment  on 
 CenturyTel’s  petition  for  waiver.  3  On  September  4,  2001,  due  to  changed  circumstances,  CenturyTel 
 filed  a  motion  to  withdraw  the  petition  for  waiver  without  prejudice.  4  After  filing  its  petition  for  waiver, 
 CenturyTel  hired  a  consultant  that  was  able  to  modify  the  15  switches  to  handle  711  calls.  CenturyTel 
 has  completed  preliminary  testing  of  the  15  switches  and  has  determined  that  they  can  now  properly 
 process  711  calls.  We  therefore  grant  CenturyTel’s  motion  to  withdraw  its  petition  for  waiver  of  the  711 
 implementation  rules  without  prejudice. 


 For  further  information  contact  Tania  Cho  of  the  Common  Carrier  Bureau,  Network  Services 
 Division  at  (202)  418-  2320  (voice),  (202)  418-  0484  (TTY)  or  tcho@  fcc.  gov. 


 -FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION- 
 1  The  Use  of  N11  Codes  and  Other  Abbreviated  Dialing  Arrangements,  Second  Report  and  Order,  CC  Docket  No. 
 92-  105,  15  FCC  Rcd  15188  (2000). 
 2  CenturyTel,  Inc.  Petition  for  Waiver  of  711  Implementation  Rules,  CC  Docket  No.  92-  105  (filed  June  5,  2001). 


 3  Common  Carrier  Bureau  Seeks  Comment  on  the  Petition  for  Waiver  of  711  Implementation  Rules  Filed  by 
 CenturyTel,  Inc.,  CC  Docket  No.  92-  105,  Public  Notice,  DA  01-  1994  (rel.  Aug.  24,  2001). 
 4  CenturyTel,  Inc.  Motion  to  Withdraw  Petition  for  Waiver  of  711  Implementation  Rules,  CC  Docket  No.  92-  105 
 (filed  Sept.  4,  2001) 
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