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



In the Matter of

Federal-State Joint Board on Universal
Service
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CC Docket No. 96-45



                             ORDER

   Adopted:  February 26, 2001          Released:  February 27, 2001

By the Common Carrier Bureau:

1.     On  January 23, 2001, the Commission released a Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (FNPRM) in CC Docket No. 96-45, seeking comment on implementation of the
Children's Internet Protection Act (the CHIP Act), which was signed into law on December 21,
2000 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001 (Pub. L. 106-554).  The FNPRM
directed that comments regarding the CHIP Act be submitted to the Commission within 15 days
of publication of the FNPRM in the Federal Register, with reply comments due seven days later.
The FNPRM was published on January 31, 2001.  Comments therefore were due on February 15,
2001, and reply comments were due by February 22, 2001.  On February 15, 2001, the American
Library Association (ALA) submitted a Motion for Extension of Time to File Reply Comments.
2.     In its pleading, the ALA requests that the Commission extend the period of time for
filing reply comments in this matter for seven days, through March 1, 2001.  Noting the brief
comment cycle, the ALA states that the extension is necessary in order to adequately obtain and
analyze others' comments, obtain views from its own members, and prepare reply comments. 
The ALA suggests that the quality of the rules adopted by the Commission would be improved if
affected parties could have additional time in which to analyze the comments of others and
respond thoughtfully.
3.     We deny the ALA's request for an extension of the February 22, 2001 date for filing
reply comments.  Although the current pleading schedule is compressed, we do not believe that
we can extend the filing date for reply comments without compromising the Commission's
ability to meet the implementation schedule mandated by Congress, which requires that the
Commission have rules governing implementation of the CHIP Act in effect by April 20, 2001.
4.     Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that the Motion for Extension of Time to File Reply
Comments filed by the American Library Association is DENIED.

                         FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                         
                         Carol E. Mattey
                         Deputy Chief, Common Carrier Bureau