PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 445 12th STREET, S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 DA 01-15 News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov CITIZENS TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY OF MONTANA AND QWEST CORPORATION SEEK A WAIVER OF THE DEFINITION OF "STUDY AREA" IN PART 36 OF THE COMMISSION'S RULES PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED CC Docket No. 96-45 Release Date: January 4, 2001 Comment Date: January 24, 2001 Reply Comment Date: February 5, 2001 On December 22, 2000, Citizens Telecommunications Company of Montana (Citizens) and Qwest Corporation (Qwest) filed a joint petition for waiver of the definition of "study area" as set forth in Part 36 of the Commission's rules. That definition constitutes a rule freezing all study area boundaries. Citizens is acquiring from Qwest 10 telephone exchanges serving approximately 11,800 access lines in Montana and approximately 282 access lines in North Dakota. By this waiver, Qwest seeks to alter its Montana study area in order to remove the telephone exchanges being transferred to Citizens. Citizens seeks a waiver of the study area freeze to establish a new Montana study area consisting of the telephone exchanges it is acquiring from Qwest. The petitioners submitted letters from the Montana Public Service Commission and the North Dakota Public Service State Commission indicating that they have no objection to the issuance of a study area waiver associated with Citizens' acquisition of the 10 telephone exchanges. Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R.  1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments on or before January 24, 2001, and reply comments on or before February 5, 2001. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24,121 (1998). Comments filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to . Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must be filed. If multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this proceeding, however, commenters must transmit one electronic copy of the comments to each docket or rulemaking number referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may also submit electronic comments by Internet e-mail. To receive filing instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should send an e- mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and should include the following words in the body of the message, "get form