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


In the Matter of)                  
                                     )
Competitive Telecommunications Association,)
Florida Competitive Carriers Association,)
and Southeastern Competitive Carriers Association       CC Docket No. 98-39              )
                                     )
Petition on Defining Certain Incumbent LEC)
Affiliates as Successors, Assigns, or Comparable)
Carriers Under Section 251(h) of the )
Communications Act                   )


                ORDER EXTENDING TIME TO FILE REPLY COMMENTS

   Adopted:  May 8, 1998                         Released:  May 8, 1998


Reply Comment Date:  June 1, 1998

By the Chief, Policy and Program Planning Division, Common Carrier Bureau:

 1.   On March 23, 1998, the Competitive Telecommunications Association, the
Florida Competitive Carriers Association, and the Southeastern Competitive Carriers
Association (collectively, the petitioners) filed a petition for declaratory ruling, or, in the
alternative, a petition for rulemaking, regarding the regulatory status of certain incumbent
local exchange carrier affiliates.  On April 1, 1998, the Common Carrier Bureau issued a
public notice seeking comments on the petition.  The public notice set May 1, 1998, as the
deadline for filing comments, and May 18, 1998, as the deadline for filing reply comments.

 2.   On May 6, 1998, the petitioners filed a motion for extension of time until
June 8, 1998, for all parties to file reply comments.  The petitioners assert that the additional
three weeks will allow for a more fully developed record, given the number of parties filing
comments and the pendency of due dates in several other proceedings.

 3.   Although the Commission does not routinely grant extensions of time, we
agree with the petitioners that it is important that the record in this proceeding be as complete
as possible.  We find, therefore, that an extension of time for filing reply comments is
warranted here.  We decline, however, to extend the period for the entire three weeks
requested by the petitioners.  We believe that a two-week extension will provide the
petitioners, as well as other interested parties, ample time to reply to the comments, which
were filed on May 1, 1998.  We, therefore, extend the deadline for filing reply comments
until June 1, 1998.

 4.   Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Section 1.46 of the Commission's
Rules, 47 C.F.R.  1.46, that the request of the Competitive Telecommunications Association,
the Florida Competitive Carriers Association, and the Southeastern Competitive Carriers
Association to extend the deadline for filing reply comments in this proceeding IS GRANTED
IN PART, and otherwise IS DENIED.

 5.   IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the deadline for filing reply comments in this
proceeding is extended until June 1, 1998.




FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Carol E. Mattey
Chief,
Policy and Program Planning Division
Common Carrier Bureau