A cable handling assembly is adapted to store and pay-out a telecommunications cable. The assembly includes first and second sets of pulleys, a housing, and a cable route. The first and second sets of pulleys are spaced from each other by a take-up distance that decreases upon the cable being paid-out. The housing supports the pulleys and also guides the pulleys as the take-up distance changes. The cable route is routed between the first and second sets of pulleys. A stack of pulley sets may be formed and may include at least one intermediate pulley set positioned between the first and second pulley sets. The cable route is routed between adjacent pulley sets of the stack of pulley sets. A route length decreases as the take-up distance decreases. A rack unit for organizing a plurality of telecommunications cables in a telecommunications rack may include a plurality of the cable handling assemblies. At least one of the cable handling assemblies may include a retraction apparatus that further adapts the at least one cable handling assembly to retract the corresponding telecommunications cable.