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                            Before the
                FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                     Washington, D.C.  20554


In the Matters of                  )
                              )
1998 Biennial Regulatory Review--       )      CC Docket No. 98-81
Review of Accounting and Cost           )
Allocation Requirements            )
                              )
United States Telephone Association     )      ASD File No. 98-64  
Petition for Rulemaking            )


                              ORDER

          Adopted:  August 3, 1998           Released:  August 3, 1998

By the Chief, Accounting Safeguards Division, Common Carrier Bureau:

          1.   In this Order, on our own initiative, we extend the filing deadline for reply
comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("Accounting Reductions NPRM") in the
above-referenced proceeding.  Although it is the policy of the Commission that filing deadlines
will not be routinely extended, in this instance we find that this extension is consistent with the
public interest.  For reasons detailed in the paragraphs that follow, the reply comment filing
deadline is extended from August 3 to September 4, 1998.

          2.    On July 17, 1998, the Commission released a companion Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking that proposed changes to the Commission's Automated Reporting
Management Information System ("ARMIS").   Several commenters to the Accounting
Reductions NPRM have noted the effect of accounting streamlining on the ARMIS reporting
requirements.  We believe that it would be in the public interest for these proceedings to share
the same comment schedule. This will allow reply comments on the Accounting Reductions
NPRM to reflect the effect of tentative conclusions and proposals in the ARMIS biennial review
proceeding and vice versa.  We also believe that this extension of time will not unduly delay the
resolution of the proceeding because it will allow the development of a 
more complete record on the fundamental changes proposed in the NPRM and enables
commenters to suggest new ways that the Commission's accounting or reporting requirements
may be improved.  We, thus, are extending the reply comment deadline from August 3 to
September 4, in order to match that of the ARMIS biennial review proceeding. 

          3.   Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Sections 0.91, 0.291, and
1.46(a) of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R.  0.91, 0.291, and 1.46(a), that the date for
receiving reply comments in the above-referenced proceeding is extended from August 3, 1998 to
September 4, 1998.


                         FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION




                         Kenneth P. Moran
                         Chief
                         Accounting Safeguards Division
                         Common Carrier Bureau