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

In the Matter of                     )
                                     )
Ontonagon County                     )
Telephone Company                    )
                                     )
Request for Waiver of the Commission's)
Equal Access Implementation Plan for )
Independent Telephone Companies      )
                                     


                      MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER


   Adopted:  October 18, 1996                                    Released:  October 21, 1996

By the Chief,  Policy and Program Planning Division:

     1.     In this order, we grant a petition for a four-month waiver of the Commission's
equal access implementation requirements filed by Ontonagon County Telephone Company
(Ontonagon), an independent telephone company (ITC).  Ontonagon provides local exchange
service to six exchanges -- Ontonagon, Bruce Crossing, Ewen, Mass City, White Pine, and
Rockland --  in the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan.

     2.     In the ITC Equal Access Order, the Commission required ITCs to convert their
end offices to equal access under certain conditions.  Strict timetables for conversion had been
imposed upon the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) under the Modification of Final Judgment
(MFJ), and upon the GTE Operating Companies (GTOCs) under the GTE Consent Decree.  
The Commission recognized differences between those companies and ITCs with respect to the
types of markets served, switching technologies employed, and financial resources available to
undertake equal access conversion.  Because of these differences, the Commission concluded that
timetables of the type imposed on the BOCs and the GTOCs would not be appropriate for the
ITCs other than the GTOCs.

     3.     Instead, the Commission required ITCs to convert end offices equipped with stored
program controlled (SPC) switches within three years of a reasonable request for conversion to
equal access by an interexchange carrier (IXC).  The ITC Equal Access Order provided, however,
that ITCs may seek a waiver of the Commission's rules if they "can demonstrate that such a
timetable, or the provision of such access features, is not feasible except at costs that clearly
outweigh potential benefits to users of telecommunications services."

     4.     On August 11, 1995, Ontonagon filed a petition for a one-year waiver of the equal
access implementation requirements.  According to the petition, Ontonagon received a request for
equal access conversion from MCI Telecommunications (MCI) in October 1992.  Ontonagon
stated that it was thus required to complete equal access conversion by October 22, 1995. 
Ontonagon stated in its petition that it required an additional year to implement equal access so
that it could convert all six of its switches to equal access simultaneously.   MCI agreed to the
proposed new completion date for equal access conversion.  On October 20, 1995, the
Commission released an order granting Ontonagon's petition for a one-year waiver.

     5.     On October 1, 1996, Ontonagon filed a petition for waiver seeking an additional
four months, until February 22, 1997, to complete the conversion of its six existing exchanges
to equal access.  In its petition, Ontonagon states that it acted promptly to obtain financing and
equipment for its equal access conversion.  According to Ontonagon, it has upgraded its Mass
City exchange and has begun the upgrade of its Ontonagon exchange.  Ontonagon further states
that it has ordered and is awaiting delivery of new switching equipment to upgrade the Bruce
Crossing and Ewen exchanges.  It expects to have the new and upgraded equipment for all of its
exchanges installed, tested, and ready for cut-over by early February 1997. 

     6.     Ontonagon states that it has discussed the proposed additional extension with
representatives of MCI, the sole IXC requesting equal access.  According to Ontonagon, these
MCI representatives have reviewed the present petition prior to its filing with the Commission,
and have authorized Ontonagon to state that MCI will interpose no objection to the requested
waiver.

     7.     We conclude that the requested waiver is in the public interest.  The petitioner has
set forth circumstances justifying its request and MCI has no objection to the new completion
date.  We conclude that Ontonagon has demonstrated that good cause exists for the brief
additional extension of time it requests.  

     8.     Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that the petition for waiver of the equal access
implementation requirements IS GRANTED to the extent described herein.

                                          Federal Communications Commission



                                          Richard K. Welch
                                          Chief, Policy and Program
                                               Planning Division
                                          Common Carrier Bureau