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                                                  DA 96-1990

                                Before the
                     Federal Communications Commission
                             Washington, D.C. 
                                     
In the Matter of                             )
                                             )
The Development of Operational,              )              WT Docket No. 96-86
Technical and Spectrum Requirements  )              
for Meeting Federal, State and Local )              
Public Safety Agency Communication   )
Requirements Through the Year 2010   )

                                   ORDER
                                     
       Adopted:  November 26, 1996   Released:  November 27, 1996 

By the Chief, Policy Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau:
       
       1.    By this Order, we extend the time for filing reply comments in the above-captioned
proceeding to the close of business on December 19, 1996.  

       2.    On April 10, 1996, the Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in
this proceeding that invited interested parties to comment no later than September 20, 1996, and
to reply to filings by other parties no later than October 18, 1996.  On September 6, 1996, we
partially granted a request by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an extension of the
comment period, extending the due date for comments until October 21, 1996, and for reply
comments until December 3, 1996.
        
        3.    On November 21, 1996, the Industrial Telecommunications Association, Inc., the
American Petroleum Institute, and the Association of American Railroads (ITA, API, and AAR)
requested a further extension of the reply comment date until December 19, 1996.  ITA, API,
and AAR assert that the reply comment date should be extended to give parties an opportunity
to review comments due to be filed in the Wireless Communications Service proceeding (GN
Docket No. 96-288) on December 4, 1996 and in the Advanced Television Systems proceeding
(MM Docket No. 87-268) on November 22, 1996.   ITA, API, and AAR assert that the comments
filed in these proceedings may affect parties' positions in their Public Safety reply comments. 
ITA, API, and AAR further assert that the comments filed in the Public Safety proceeding are
lengthy and involve issues requiring careful consideration.
        
        4.      ITA, API, and AAR contend that views expressed in comments submitted in GN
Docket No. 96-288 may affect the positions parties will take in the Public Safety proceeding,
because that docket addresses, among other issues, whether a portion of the spectrum proposed
for the Wireless Communications Service should be used to meet the needs of public safety
providers, and whether the Commission has sufficient authority to designate frequencies in the
2.3 GHz band for public safety communications.  ITA, API, and AAR also assert that the
comments filed in the Advanced Television Systems proceeding may influence the direction
parties take in their Public Safety reply comments, and that these comments are likely to be
voluminous.  

        5.      Because of the importance of this proceeding, we encourage active participation
by all interested parties.  Moreover, we agree with ITA, API, and AAR that the issues in this
proceeding interrelate with issues addressed in GN Docket No. 96-288 and in MM Docket No.
87-268, and that parties may wish to review those comments before responding to comments filed
in this proceeding.  We are therefore persuaded that granting the requested extension of time will
enhance the quality of the reply comments, and will provide a more complete record for
consideration.  For these reasons, we conclude that an extension for filing reply comments is in
the public interest. 

        6.      Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Section 1.46 of the Commission's
Rules regarding the time for filing comments, 47 C.F.R.  1.46, that the request of the Industrial
Telecommunications Association, Inc., the American Petroleum Institute, and the Association of
American Railroads IS GRANTED, and the time for filing reply comments in the above-
captioned proceeding is extended to the close of business on December 19, 1996.


                                        FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION



                                        John Cimko
                                        Chief, Policy Division
                                        Wireless Telecommunications Bureau