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

                                 
In the Matter of                )
                                )       
Application of GTE Corporation, Transferor,) CC Docket No. 98-184
and Bell Atlantic Corporation, Transferee, for )
Consent to Transfer of Control  )
                                   


                              ORDER


   Adopted:  November 16, 1998          Released:  November 16, 1998

By the Chief, Policy and Program Planning Division:

     1.   On October 8, 1998, the Common Carrier Bureau released a Public Notice in CC
Docket No. 98-184 inviting comments on the above-captioned application for transfer of
control.  The Public Notice requires parties to file comments and petitions to deny on or before
November 23, 1998, and oppositions or responses to the comments and petitions on or before
December 23, 1998.  On November 2, 1998, the Delaware Division of the Public Advocate, the
Hawaii Attorney General, the Indiana Office of Public Utility Counselor, the Iowa Office of
Consumer Advocate, the Maryland People's Counsel, the New Jersey Ratepayer Advocate, the
Ohio Consumers' Counsel, the Citizens Utility Board of Oregon, the Texas Office of the Public
Utility Counsel, The Utility Reform Network, the Michigan Consumer Federation, and the
Edgemont Neighborhood Coalition (collectively, the "Movants") filed a Motion for Extension of
Time to extend the dates for filing comments and responses.

     2.   In their pleading, the Movants request that the deadline for petitions and
comments be extended by sixty days, to January 25, 1999, and that the deadline for oppositions
and responses be extended to February 25, 1999.  The Movants state that the requested extension
of time would enable interested parties to provide more thorough and deliberate input into the
record of this proceeding, and that the Movants' analysis will not be completed until mid to late
December, 1998.  

     3.   On November 6, 1998, Bell Atlantic Corporation (Bell Atlantic) and GTE
Corporation (GTE) jointly filed an opposition to the Motion for Extension of Time.  Bell
Atlantic and GTE point out that the moving parties do not offer any explanation why the
pleading schedule does not provide them ample time to prepare their comments, particularly in
light of the additional time available to them since the merger was announced on July 28, 1998. 
Bell Atlantic and GTE contend that the public interest supports the denial of the Motion for
Extension of Time.

     4.     We find that the Movants have not shown good cause for extending the pleading
schedule an additional two months.  We agree with Bell Atlantic and GTE that the  public
interest supports the expeditious review of Bell Atlantic and GTE's application for consent to
transfer of control.
     
     5.     Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that the Motion for Extension of Time IS
DENIED.

                         FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION



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