*Pages 1--2 from Microsoft Word - 53695.doc* Federal Communications Commission DA 05- 3183 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D. C. 20554 In the Matter of Reexamination of Roaming Obligations of Commercial Mobile Radio Service Providers ) ) ) ) WT Docket No. 05- 265 ORDER Adopted: December 13, 2005 Released: December 14, 2005 By the Acting Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau: 1. On August 31, 2005, the Commission released a Memorandum Opinion and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that terminated the open proceeding relating to the automatic and manual roaming obligations of Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) providers in WT Docket No. 00- 193, 1 and initiated a new proceeding to examine whether the Commission’s current rules regarding roaming requirements applicable to CMRS providers should be modified given the current state of the CMRS market. 2 Notification of the NPRM was published in the Federal Register on September 28, 2005 and this publication established comment and reply comment deadlines of November 28, 2005 and December 27, 2005, respectively. 3 2. On December 5, 2005, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau received a joint request (Request) filed on behalf of a number of carriers and trade associations, representing a cross- section of the wireless industry, to extend by 30 days the reply comment deadline in the above referenced proceeding from December 27, 2005 to January 26, 2006. 4 The Request seeks additional time in order to review and analyze the voluminous record submitted in the initial comment round and to accommodate the intervening end- of- year holiday period. 3. Although requests for extensions of time are not routinely granted, 5 we do occasionally grant limited extensions of time when we find that the public interest would be served by doing so. In this case, we find that granting the Request and extending the reply comment deadline by 30 days is in the public 1 See Automatic and Manual Roaming Obligations Pertaining to Commercial Mobile Radio Services, WT Docket No. 00- 193, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 15 FCC Rcd 21628 (2000). 2 See Reexamination of Roaming Obligations of Commercial Mobile Radio Service Providers, WT Docket No. 05-265, Memorandum Opinion & Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 20 FCC Rcd 15047 (2005). 3 See Federal Communications Commission, WT Docket No. 05- 265, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 70 Fed Reg 56612 (Sept. 28, 2005). 4 Request for 30- Day Extension Of Reply Comment Deadline, WT Docket No. 05- 265, filed Dec. 5, 2005. This Request was submitted jointly by Rural Telecommunications Group, Inc., Verizon Wireless, Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, Sprint Nextel Corporation, Cingular Wireless, T- Mobile USA, Inc., Alltel Corporation, United States Cellular Corporation, Leap Wireless International, Inc., and Rural Cellular Association. 5 See 47 C. F. R. § 1.46( a). 1 Federal Communications Commission DA 05- 3183 2 interest. We believe that all parties will benefit from an extension of the reply comment deadline by allowing parties sufficient time to review the complex technical, economic and competitive issues being raised in this proceeding. In addition, extending the comment deadline will enable the Commission to obtain a more complete and well- developed record in this proceeding. Therefore, we are hereby extending the reply comment deadline from December 27, 2005 to January 26, 2006. 4. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to authority found in section 4( i) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U. S. C. § 154( i), and sections 0.331 and 1.46 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C. F. R. §§ 0. 331 and 1.46, the Request for 30- day extension of reply comment deadline IS GRANTED and the reply comment deadline for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in this proceeding is EXTENDED to January 26, 2006. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Catherine W. Seidel Acting Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau 2