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(# CNMI also argues that, by increasing telecommunications costs for end users, denial of its request would not serve the public  X-interest, because the Commission is already aware that both per capita income and telephone  X-penetration levels in CNMI are among the lowest in the Nation.<. yO -ԍ CNMI Petition at 7.< Finally, CNMI asserts that no other parties would suffer adverse impacts from an extension of the transitional dialing  XF-plan.2Fl. {Oc#-ԍ Id.2 The Commission placed the CNMI Petition on Public Notice on May 21, 1998, and  X#-no comments or opposing statements were filed.#. yO%- x.ԍ Emergency Petition for Relief of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Pleading Cycle  {O&-Established, Public Notice, CC Docket No. 9645, DA 98968 (rel. May 21, 1998). "X,l(l(,,d"Ԍ X-x6. On June 18, 1998, the Commission received a similar request for an indefinite extension from the Governor of Guam. The Guam Request states that "the majority of 800/888 tollfree access calls are being directly routed on a tollfree basis," but some tollfree  X-numbers that require 880/881 paid access remain.;. yO-ԍ Guam Request at 4.; Guam states that the majority of the remaining tollfree numbers that are not directly accessible are "typically routed to carriers who have no point of presence on Guam or who have made no arrangement for the transport  X.-of calls originating on Guam."2.X. {O7 -ԍ Id.2 Guam also states that no complaints or network problems  X -due to the transitional dialing plan have been reported.; . yO -ԍ Guam Request at 5.;  X-x ` `  X- III. DISCUSSION ă  X -x7. At the outset, we note that, pursuant to section 251(e) of the Act, the Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over those portions of the NANP that pertain to the United States, and the institution of a "transitional dialing plan" for the Pacific Island territories was, and  X -still remains, a valid exercise of our regulatory powers over numbering.? z. yOA-ԍ 47 U.S.C.  251(e).? We continue to believe that, in line with the universal service goals of section 254 of the Act, insular areas such as Guam and CNMI must move swiftly to implement direct tollfree access to all mainland tollfree numbers, especially now that these areas are full participants in the NANP. We are sensitive, however, to the need not to cut off abruptly end users in these areas from all access to certain tollfree numbers.  X!-x8. We find that the public interest will be served by extending the 880 transitional dialing plan for the Pacific Island territories, including Guam and CNMI, for an indefinite amount of time. We are persuaded that considerable progress toward full tollfree access appears to have been achieved in the past year, as demonstrated by the statistics provided by CNMI. We are confident that the territories will continue on this course. We note also that no opposition to the CNMI Petition was filed. We agree with CNMI that, since 25% of tollfree numbers are still directly inaccessible to end users in CNMI, it will not serve the goals of section 254(b)(3) to terminate suddenly the only avenue of access that CNMI consumers have  X -to this pool of remaining tollfree numbers.B  . yO!-ԍ 47 U.S.C.  254(b)(3).B  X-x9. We are amenable to revisiting this issue in the future, to ensure that the use of "paid access" continues to diminish in the Pacific Island territories and the percentage of tollfree numbers that are not directly accessible to end users in these territories continues to decline. We encourage interested parties to comment, at this point or at any future point, on the status of "paid access" dialing in the Pacific Island territories, and to bring any future"7,l(l(,,Y" issues regarding access to tollfree numbers from the Pacific Island territories to the attention of the Commission, so that we may remain informed of the status of this issue.  X-x IV. ORDERING CLAUSES ă  XQ-x 10. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to the authority contained in sections 14, 201205, 218220, 251, 254, 403 and 405 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C.  151154, 201205, 218220, 251, 254, 403, and 405, the Emergency Petition for Relief the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, filed on May 13, 1998, and the Request for Extension of the Governor of Guam, filed on June 18, 1998, are GRANTED. x` `  FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION x x` `  James D. Schlichting x` `  Deputy Chief, Common Carrier Bureau x