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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  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  03-  4084 
 Released:  December  23,  2003 
 PLEADING  CYCLE  ESTABLISHED  FOR  COMMENTS  ON  QWEST’S  PETITION  FOR  FORBEARANCE 
 FROM  APPLICATION  OF  SECTION  271 
 WC  Docket  No.  03-  260 
 Comments  Date:  January  20,  2004  Reply  Comments  Date:  January  30,  2004 


 On  December  18,  2003,  Qwest  Communications  International  Inc.  (Qwest)  filed  a  petition  pursuant  to  section  10  of  the  Communications  Act  of  1934,  as  amended,  1  requesting  that 
 the  Commission  forbear  from  imposing  an  independent  unbundling  obligation  pursuant  to  section  271(  c)(  2)(  B)  of  the  Act  with  respect  to  narrowband  and  broadband  network  elements  that 
 no  longer  are  required  to  be  unbundled  pursuant  to  section  251(  d)(  2)  of  the  Act.  2  In  its  Petition,  Qwest  argues  that  the  establishment  of  a  stand-  alone  section  271  unbundling  obligation  is 
 contrary  to  the  purposes  and  provisions  of  the  Act  as  well  as  recent  court  decisions  that  have  limited  the  scope  of  unbundling.  3  Qwest  further  argues  that  establishing  an  independent  and 
 ongoing  unbundling  obligation  under  section  271  with  respect  to  broadband  elements  would  impose  substantial  operating  and  financial  burdens  on  all  Bell  Operating  Companies,  including 
 Qwest.  4 
 This  Public  Notice  establishes  certain  procedural  requirements  relating  to  consideration  of  Qwest’s  Petition.  This  matter  shall  be  treated  as  a  “permit-  but-  disclose”  proceeding  in 


 accordance  with  the  Commission's  ex  parte  rules.  See  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  1.1200,  1.1206.  Persons  making  oral  ex  parte  presentations  are  reminded  that  memoranda  summarizing  the  presentations 


 1  47  U.  S.  C.  §  160  et  seq. 
 2  Qwest  Communications  International  Inc.  Petition  for  Forbearance  Under  47  U.  S.  C.  160(  c),  WC  Docket  No. 
 03-  260  (filed  Dec.  18,  2003)  (Qwest  Petition  or  Petition). 
 3  Qwest  Petition  at  3-  14. 


 4  Qwest  Petition  at  14-  15. 
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