Federal Communications Commission DA 17-789
Before the
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
In the Matter of
Petition of AT&T for Forbearance Under 47
U.S.C. § 160(c) from Certain Rules for Switched 
Access Services and Toll Free Database Dip 
Charges
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WC Docket No. 16-363
ORDER
Adopted:  August 18, 2017 Released:  August 18, 2017
By the Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau:
1. In this Order, pursuant to section 10(c) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended 
(the Act),
1
the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) extends by 90 days the date by which AT&T 
Services, Inc.’s (AT&T’s) petition for forbearance
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shall be deemed granted in the absence of a 
Commission decision that the petition fails to meet the standards for forbearance under section 10(a) of 
the Act.
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  Accordingly, the date on which the AT&T Petition will be deemed granted in the absence of a 
Commission denial is December 29, 2017.
2. On September 30, 2016, AT&T filed a petition pursuant to section 10 of the Act 
requesting that the Commission forbear “from the tariffing requirements of the Act and its rules as to all 
tandem switching and tandem-switched transport charges on all traffic to or from [local exchange carriers 
(LECs)] engaged in access stimulation.”
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   The petition also asks that the Commission forbear from 
enforcing “all of its rules that allow LECs to tariff a charge billed to [interexchange carriers] for toll-free 
database queries.”
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  Pursuant to section 10(c) of the Act, a petition for forbearance shall be deemed 
granted if the Commission does not deny the petition within one year after the Commission receives it, 
unless the Commission extends the one-year period.
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  The Commission may extend the initial one-year 
                                                     
1
47 U.S.C. § 160(c).
2
AT&T Services, Inc., Petition of AT&T Services, Inc. for Forbearance Under 47 U.S.C. § 160(c), WC Docket No. 
16-363 (filed Sept. 30, 2016) (AT&T Petition).
3
47 U.S.C. § 160(a), (c).  See also, e.g., Petition of USTelecom for Forbearance Under 47 U.S.C. § 160(c) from 
Obsolete ILEC Regulatory Obligations that Inhibit Deployment of Next-Generation Networks, WC Docket No. 14-
192, Order, 30 FCC Rcd. 10149 (WCB Sept. 25, 2015) (extension by the Bureau of the initial one year deadline for 
acting on forbearance petitions); Petition of CenturyLink for Forbearance Pursuant to 47 U.S.C. § 160(c) from 
Dominant Carrier & Certain Computer Inquiry Requirements on Enterprise Broadband Services, WC Docket No. 
14-9, Order, 29 FCC Rcd. 13746 (WCB Nov. 7, 2014) (extension by the Bureau of initial one-year deadline for 
acting on forbearance petitions by 90 days to fully examine whether the forbearance requested meets the statutory 
requirements set forth in section 10(a) of the Act).
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AT&T Petition at 13.
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Petition at 20.  Specifically, AT&T seeks forbearance from 47 U.S.C. § 203, 47 CFR §§ 51.901 et seq., 51.913, 
61.1, 61.26, 61.47, 69.1 et seq., 69.108, 69.111, 69.118 et seq. and requirements from related Commission Orders, 
“including, but not limited to In re Provision of Access for 800 Service, 8 FCC Rcd 907 (1993).”  See id. at Appx. A.
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47 U.S.C. § 160(c).
Federal Communications Commission DA 17-789
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period by an additional 90 days if the Commission finds that an extension is necessary to meet the 
requirements of section 10(a).
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3. The AT&T Petition raises significant questions about whether forbearance from the 
application of numerous statutory and regulatory requirements in the provision of telecommunications 
services meets the statutory requirements set forth in section 10(a) of the Act.
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  We conclude that 
additional time is required to fully examine whether the forbearance requested by AT&T meets those 
statutory requirements.  We therefore find that a 90-day extension is warranted under section 10(c) of the 
Act.
4. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to section 10 of the Communications Act 
of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 160, and sections 0.91 and 0.291 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 
§§ 0.91, 0.291, the date on which the petition seeking forbearance filed by AT&T shall be deemed 
granted, in the absence of a Commission denial of the petition for failure to meet the statutory standards 
for forbearance, IS EXTENDED to December 29, 2017.
5. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to section 1.102(b)(1) of the Commission’s 
rules, 47 CFR § 1.102(b)(1), this order SHALL BE EFFECTIVE upon release.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Kris Anne Monteith
Chief
Wireline Competition Bureau
                                                     
7
Id.; see also, e.g., Petition of Ameritech Corporation for Forbearance from Enforcement of Section 275(a) of the
Communications Act of 1934, as Amended, CC Docket No. 98-65, Order, 14 FCC Rcd 6415 (Com. Car. Bur. 1999).
8
See 47 U.S.C. § 160(a).