[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 25452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10353]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 24

[WT Docket No. 96-148 and GN Docket No. 96-113; FCC 00-88]


Geographic Partitioning and Spectrum Disaggregation by Commercial 
Mobile Radio Services Licensees and the Implementation of the 
Communications Act--Elimination of Market Entry Barriers

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; dismissal of petitions.

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SUMMARY: This document dismisses the petitions filed by the National 
Telephone Cooperative Association (NTCA) and Omnipoint Corporation 
(Omnipoint) requesting reconsideration of a previous Commission 
decision that: eliminated the restriction permitting partitioning only 
to rural telephone companies; prohibited entrepreneur block licensees 
from swapping spectrum blocks with non-entrepreneur block licensees in 
the same geographic market; and required the filing of the associated 
contract for sale and related documents together with any partitioning 
and/or disaggregation application that is filed within the first three 
years following issuance of a new PCS license through competitive 
bidding. This document also dismisses as moot the Rural 
Telecommunications Group's Motion for Stay to stay the effective date 
of the new rules adopted in the same Commission decision. This action 
by the Commission eliminates market entry barriers, thereby increasing 
competition in the PCS marketplace while expeditiously speeding service 
to the public.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be filed with the Office of the Secretary, 
Federal Communications Commisison, TW B204, 445 12th Street, SW 
Washington, DC 20554. Comments also should be provided to Steve 
Weingarten, Chief, Commercial Wireless Division, Room 4C-224, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th 
Street, SW Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Conley, Wireless 
Telecommunications Bureau at (202) 418-0786.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The final rule published at 62 FR 653 
(January 6, 1997) previously adopted by the Commission, and this 
document is in keeping with Congress' goal of increasing competition in 
that it allows more competitors to enter the marketplace and deploy 
services to the public quickly and efficiently, as well as, provide 
opportunities for rural telcos and other small businesses to provide 
broadband PCS to the public without increasing the administrative 
burden to the Commission. This document was released on April 13, 2000, 
and is available for inspection and copying during normal business 
hours in the FCC Reference Center, 445 12th Street, SW Washington, D.C. 
The complete text may be purchased from the Commission's copy 
contractor, International Transcription Service, Inc., 1231 20th 
Street, NW Washington, DC 20036/(202) 857-3800. The Memorandum Opinion 
and Order is also available via the Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/Orders/2000.

Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-10353 Filed 5-1-00; 8:45 am]
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