Rural Telcos Seek More Time to Vet Comcast/NBCU Filing

Ask for two-week extension to respond to nearly 600-page pleading

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/27/2010 12:08:25 PM

A rural telco coalition has joined the American Cable Association and others in asking the FCC for more time to respond to Comcast's June 21, 599-page response to petitions to deny its joint venture with NBCU.

In a filing at the FCC, the Fair Access to Content & Telecommunications Coalition (FACT), the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association and the Western Telecommunications Alliance all echoed ACA in asking for a two-week extension of the Aug. 5 deadline for responding to Comcast's filing.

"The member organizations of FACT, NTCA and WTA are all rural non-profit organizations, which do not have the personnel or the resources of the Applicants to adequately and fairly examine, analyze, and comment on the nearly 600-page pleading of the Applicants within the designated pleading timeframe," they said.

ACA, which also represents rural telcos/cable operators, last week asked for the extension, saying the filing was too massive to be digested in the less than two weeks between its filing and the comment deadline.

The FACT coalition comprises the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, and the Rural Independent Competitive Alliance.