47 CFR 36.4: Streamlining procedures for processing petitions for waiver of study area boundaries.

Effective January 1, 2012, local exchange carriers seeking a change in study area boundaries shall be subject to the following procedure:

(a) Public Notice and Review Period. Upon determination by the Wireline Competition Bureau that a petitioner has filed a complete petition for study area waiver and that the petition is appropriate for streamlined treatment, the Wireline Competition Bureau will issue a public notice seeking comment on the petition. Unless otherwise notified by the Wireline Competition Bureau, the petitioner is permitted to alter its study area boundaries on the 60th day after the reply comment due date, but only in accordance with the boundary changes proposed in its application.

(b) Comment Cycle. Comments on petitions for waiver may be filed during the first 30 days following public notice, and reply comments may be filed during the first 45 days following public notice, unless the public notice specifies a different pleading cycle. All comments on petitions for waiver shall be filed electronically, and shall satisfy such other filing requirements as may be specified in the public notice.

(c) Petitions for waiver required. Local exchange carriers seeking a change in study area boundaries must file a study area petition consistent with the procedures set out in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section notwithstanding any prior exemption from such waiver requests including, but not limited to, when a company is combining previously unserved territory with one of its study areas or a holding company is consolidating existing study areas within the same state. The Wireline Competition Bureau or the Office of Economics and Analytics are permitted to accept study area boundary corrections without a waiver.