; cable operators Nothing in this section shall affect the application of section 332(c)(3) to commercial mobile service providers or section 621 to cable operators. (h) Rural markets It shall not be a violation of this section for a State to require a telecommunications carrier that seeks to provide telephone exchange service or exchange access in a service area served by a rural telephone company to meet the requirements in section 214(e)(1) for designation as an eligible telecommunications carrier for that area before being permitted to provide such service. This subsection shall not apply— (1) to a service area served by a rural telephone company that has obtained an exemption, suspension, or modification of section 251(c)(4) that effectively prevents a competitor from meeting the requirements of section 214(e)(1); and (2) to a provider of commercial mobile services. (i) When request considered submitted For the purposes of this section, a request to a State or local government or instrumentality thereof shall be considered submitted on the date on which the requesting party takes the first procedural step within the control of the requesting party— (1) to submit such request in accordance with the procedures established by the government or instrumentality for the review and approval of such a request