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                                Before the
                     Federal Communications Commission
                          Washington, D.C. 20554

In the Matter of                     )       AAD 96-61      
Petitions for Waivers Filed by       )
                                     )       
Great Plains Communications, Inc. and )
Petersburg Telephone Company         )
                                     )
Concerning the Definition of         )
"Study Area" Contained in            )
the Part 36 Appendix-Glossary        )
                                     

                      MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER


   Adopted:  September 19, 1996                                  Released:  September 20, 1996

By the Chief, Accounting and Audits Division:

     1. On June 27, 1996, Great Plains Communications, Inc. ("Great Plains") and Petersburg
Telephone Company ("Petersburg") filed a petition for waiver of the definition of "Study Area" as
set forth in the Appendix-Glossary of Part 36 of the Commission's rules.  That definition froze
all study area boundaries, as they existed on November 15, 1984.  The requested waivers would
allow Great Plains and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Petersburg, to alter the boundaries of their
Nebraska study areas by consolidating the Petersburg study area with the Great Plains study area. 

     2.  On July 17, 1996, the Common Carrier Bureau ("Bureau") released a Public Notice
soliciting comments on the petition.  The Bureau received comments from one party, the
National Telephone Cooperative Association ("NTCA").  NTCA argues that the Commission
should dismiss the petitioners' study area waiver request as moot because the Commission found,
in a recent clarification of the Part 36 rules, that a study area waiver is not required when a
holding company is consolidating existing study areas in the same state.   

     3.  We agree with NTCA that Great Plains and Petersburg do not require a study area
waiver to take the actions they propose.  Petersburg is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Great Plains
and Great Plains is consolidating study areas within the same state (Nebraska).  Pursuant to the
clarification set forth in our MO&O, a study area waiver is not required in this case.  We note
that the Nebraska Public Service Commission has approved the merger and states that it does not
object to the consolidation of study areas.  Further, the proposed consolidation would not result
in increased Universal Service Fund support payments.  Because Great Plains and Petersburg do
not require a study area waiver, we find that the petition is moot and should be dismissed.

     4.  IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Sections 1, 4(i), 5(c), 201-202 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C.  151, 154(i), 155(c), 201-202, Section
553(b)(A) of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C.  553(b)(A), and Sections 0.91, 0.291,
and 1.3 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R.  0.91, 0.291, 1.3, that the petition filed by
Great Plains Communications, Inc. and Petersburg Telephone Company for waiver of Part 36,
Appendix-Glossary, of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. Part 36 Appendix-Glossary, IS
DISMISSED. 



                                   FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


                                         
                                   Kenneth P. Moran
                                   Chief, Accounting and Audits Division
                                   Common Carrier Bureau