Before the
                Federal Communications Commission
                         Washington, D.C.



In the Matter of                )
                                )
Revision of the Commission's Rules)
To Ensure Compatibility with    )       CC Docket No. 94-102
Enhanced 911 Emergency          )       RM-8143        
Calling Systems                 )



                              Order


        Adopted:  July 29, 1999;  Released:  July 29, 1999

By the Chief, Policy Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau:

    1.  On December 30, 1998, the Commission adopted the TTY Waiver Order, granting a
temporary waiver of Section 20.18(c) of the Commission's Rules (to the extent that section
relates to the transmission of 911 calls made from TTY devices using digital wireless systems) to
all parties who had filed petitions seeking waiver of that rule.  The temporary waiver applied to
all parties filing petitions as of the adoption date of the TTY Waiver Order (i.e., December 30,
1998) and all such parties were identified in the Appendix of the Order.
    2.  We have recently received petitions for waiver of Section 20.18(c) from Metro
Southwest PCS, LLC (MSP) and Northeast Communications of Wisconsin, Inc. (NCW),
CommNet Cellular Inc. (CommNet), and Saco River Cellular Telephone Company dba
StarCellular (StarCellular).  MSP and NCW indicate in their petition that they intend to initiate
commercial broadband PCS service in the not too distant future.  CommNet seeks waiver of
Section 20.18(c) on behalf of all of its affiliates, certain of whom plan to begin
to offer digital cellular service by the end of July or the beginning of August, 1999. 
StarCellular indicates in its petition that it plans to place digital service into full commercial
operation on August 1, 1999. 

    3.  Because Section 20.18(c), as it relates to carriers operating digital systems, did not
apply to these parties in December 1998, they would not have been expected to file petitions at
that time.  Thus, while a strict reading of the TTY Waiver Order would indicate that we would
grant only petitions filed as of the adoption date of the Order, we conclude that these  parties
should be granted the same temporary waiver of Section 20.18(c) that was granted to the parties
identified in the TTY Waiver Order.

    4.  Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that the petitions for waiver of Section 20.18(c) of the
Commission's Rules filed by Metro Southwest PCS, LLC and Northeast Communications
of Wisconsin, Inc., CommNet Cellular Inc., and Saco River Cellular Telephone Company dba
StarCellular ARE GRANTED, subject to the terms and conditions indicated in the TTY Waiver
Order, which was adopted by the Commission on December 30, 1998.

    5.  This action is taken pursuant to delegated authority of the Wireless
Telecommunications Bureau under Section 0.331 of the Commission's Rules. 
 
                          FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION




                          Kris A. Monteith 
                          Chief, Policy Division 
                          Wireless Telecommunications Bureau