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$// PN, Telephone Number Portability, CC Dkt. 95-116, DA 95-1924 //$
$/ 47 CFR  61, 64, & 69 /$
FOR RECORD ONLY
                                                                 DA 95-1924
                                Before the
                     FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                          Washington, D.C.  20554


In the Matter of                             )
                                        )
Telephone Number Portability                 )    CC Docket No. 95-116
                                        )    RM 8535


                                   ORDER


Adopted:  September 7, 1995                  Released:      September 7, 1995

Comment Date:  September 12, 1995
Reply Comment Date:    October 12, 1995

By the Chief, Policy and Program Planning Division:

     1.   On July 13, 1995, the Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
initiating the above-captioned proceeding.  In response to that Notice, comments are due on
or before September 12, 1995, and reply comments are due on or before October 12, 1995.

     2.   On August 31, 1995, GTE Service Corporation (GTE) filed a request to
extend the comment deadline 30 days, until October 12, 1995.  GTE asserts that it is
performing a survey of residential and business customers -- both GTE customers nationwide
and Bell Operating Company customers in four metropolitan areas.  GTE claims that a 30-
day extension is required for it to evaluate and prepare the data collected by this survey. 
GTE further argues that such empirical data will add significantly to the debate regarding
number portability.

     3.   On September 5, 1995, US West filed a partial opposition to GTE's request. 
US West argues that, rather than extend the comment deadline, the Commission should
extend the reply comment deadline an additional 30 days to November 13, 1995.  According
to US West, this would maintain the originally scheduled commencement of the pleading
cycle, permit GTE to file its survey results on October 12, 1995, and provide other parties
an additional 30 days in which to respond to that survey.  This also would permit parties
additional time to respond to comments filed on September 12, 1995, which US West
predicts will likely be voluminous.

     4.   We do not routinely grant extensions of time.  Further, we believe the public
interest is best served by maintaining the original comment deadline of September 12, 1995,
and therefore we deny GTE's request.  This deadline provided parties 60 days from the
release of the Notice in which to prepare comments.  The nature of the benefits that could
potentially flow from number portability and the complexity of the issues that must be
addressed to implement number portability weigh against delaying the filing of comments in
this proceeding.  We recognize, however, that empirical data, such as that which GTE hopes
to obtain from its survey, will contribute significantly to this proceeding.  Therefore, we
encourage GTE to file its survey results before October 12, 1995, if possible, so that parties
will have an opportunity to address those results in their reply comments.

     5.   We believe that adopting US West's recommendation at this time is premature. 
If the September 12 comments prove to be voluminous, as US West predicts, or if parties
will not have sufficient time to analyze and respond to GTE's survey, parties are free to
request an extension of time as the reply comment deadline approaches.  Consistent with our
rules, we therefore deny any extension of time for filing comments or reply comments, and
we maintain the original filing dates of September 12, 1995 for comments and October 12,
1995 for reply comments.

     6.   Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that GTE's request for Extension of Time IS
DENIED.

                         FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION



                         James D. Schlichting
                         Chief, Policy and Program Planning Division
                         Common Carrier Bureau