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TR's State NewsWire . . .daily intelligence on communications industry news and policy from the editors of Telecommunications Reports. . . ====================================================== *Table of Contents* June 7, 2001 STATES COLORADO -- Gov. Owens OKs 'no-call' list SOUTH CAROLINA -- Wireless carriers not required to contribute to state USF GEORGIA -- BellSouth amends SGAT KANSAS -- KCC to review SW Bell proposed access cuts VERMONT -- Commissioner Burke to begin first full term MICHIGAN -- House OKs number-conservation measure CONNECTICUT -- OCC says AT&T has had enough time to expand network NORTH CAROLINA -- @ Communications asks UC to arbitrate interconnect pact ILLINOIS -- ICC extends Ameritech 'alt-reg' proceeding ILLINOIS -- Essex asks ICC to settle interconnect dispute FLORIDA -- Sprint wants Verizon to resell features on 'stand- alone' basis CONNECTICUT -- '711' to be operational by mid MAINE -- Report extends area code's projected exhaust MICHIGAN -- '269' to be new area code for '616' 'split' COLORADO -- ICG to withdraw from residential market ILLINOIS -- City mulls license for AT&T Wireless KANSAS -- KCC wants more data on SW Bell OS proposal NORTH CAROLINA -- Nextel transfers long distance customers to ComTech21 CALIFORNIA -- Cogent enters Santa Clara market REGIONAL Cavalier Telephone to acquire Connectiv ______________________________________________________ COLORADO -- Gov. Owens OKs 'no-call' list Gov. Bill Owens (R.) yesterday signed legislation allowing citizens to place their names on a "no-call" list if they don't want to receive telemarketing calls. Telemarketers can't contact persons on the list unless they have an established business relationship with them. Violators of HB 1405 will be guilty of a deceptive trade practice. The Public Utilities Commission must contract by Jan. 1, 2002, with an agent to maintain the Web site and database containing the no-call list. By July 1, 2002, the agent must develop the no-call database. The PUC must promulgate rules by April 1, 2002, to administer the database. ______________________________________________________ SOUTH CAROLINA -- Wireless carriers not required to contribute to state USF The Public Service Commission yesterday decided to exclude wireless revenue from its universal service fund (USF). State law requires all telecom service providers to contribute to the USF, but the law defines telecom services as "nonwireline services provided in competition to landline service." Verizon Wireless, Inc., and the PSC staff asked the PSC not to require wireless companies to contribute to the USF. There isn't "sufficient evidence" that any wireless company competes with any local service provider in South Carolina, the PSC said. (Docket no. 97-239-C) ______________________________________________________ GEORGIA -- BellSouth amends SGAT BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., has filed a revised statement of generally available terms and conditions (SGAT) for interconnection, unbundled network elements, and resale services. The revised SGAT implements recent Public Service Commission and FCC decisions. The SGAT includes several revisions that, among other things: (1) clarify that BellSouth won't pay reciprocal compensation for "fraudulent" traffic; (2) add forecasting requirements; (3) expand requirements for notice, discontinuance of service, and deposits; and (4) update service provider number portability implementation procedures. (Docket nos. 6863-U, 7253-U and 10692-U) ______________________________________________________ KANSAS -- KCC to review SW Bell proposed access cuts The Corporation Commission has scheduled a June 27 hearing on Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.'s proposal to reduce its intrastate switched-access rate from about 5- to 1.2-cents a minute. (5/18/01) SW Bell made the proposal as part of an agreement among the commission staff, United Telephone Companies of Kansas, d/b/a Sprint, Sprint Communications Co. LP, and AT&T Corp. AT&T and Sprint agreed to pass through SW Bell's access charge reductions to customers. Sprint estimated that its average residential per-minute rates would decrease 15% to 22%. AT&T said its "leading consumer" residential rates would decrease by nearly 30%. If approved, SW Bell's switched-access rate reduction would take effect Oct. 1 and would cost the company $25-$28 million in annual access revenue. The revenue reduction would be offset by increases in rates for residential and business access lines. Rates for basic local business service would increase to a range of $22.25 - $33.80 per month. Rates for local business service with optional expanded area calling service would increase to $41.25 per month from the current rate of $36.25 per month, the commission said. (Docket no. 01-GIMT-082-GIT) ______________________________________________________ VERMONT -- Commissioner Burke to begin first full term The state Senate has confirmed the reappointment of John Burke as commissioner to the Public Service Board. He had been serving the remainder of retired Commissioner Suzanne Rude's term since December 2000. ______________________________________________________ MICHIGAN -- House OKs number-conservation measure The House has approved a resolution urging the FCC to approve the Public Service Commission's request for additional number- conservation authority. According to HR 81, many of Michigan's area codes are exhausting quickly because of "the lack of efficient number distribution and the lack of FCC approval for the PSC to institute [1,000-number block pooling]." ______________________________________________________ CONNECTICUT -- OCC says AT&T has had enough time to expand network The Office of Consumer Council (OCC) has asked the Department of Public Utility Control to reject AT&T Corp.'s requested cable TV franchise agreement extensions. The OCC filed a motion to strike AT&T's application that would give the company more time to expand its Lakeville system network. AT&T hasn't completed yet the number of network miles required by the agreement. The DPUC has granted a franchise term extension and instituted a hearing to review and consider AT&T's request to modify a franchise agreement in Vernon. The OCC recommended revoking the extension and objected to technical meetings. The DPUC has ruled that "further review and consideration of AT&T's request for additional time to complete the system upgrade is in the public interest." ______________________________________________________ NORTH CAROLINA -- @ Communications asks UC to arbitrate interconnect pact @ Communications, Inc., a data competitive local exchange carrier, has asked the Utilities Commission to arbitrate an interconnection agreement it's negotiating with Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Co., d/b/a Sprint. @ Communications objects to Sprint's requirement that it compensate Sprint for transporting traffic outside of Sprint's local calling areas if the company designates one point-of-interconnection (POI) per LATA (local access and transport area). Sprint prefers that CLECs designate one POI per calling area, Sprint said. Even if it bears some responsibility for transport costs, it should be limited to the company's percentage of originating minutes, @ Communications said. It said Sprint's requirement that @ Communications "bear 100% cost responsibility regardless of the direction of the traffic" violates the FCC's interconnection rules. (Docket nos. P-7, sub 969; P-10, sub 611 ______________________________________________________ ILLINOIS -- ICC extends Ameritech 'alt-reg' proceeding The Commerce Commission yesterday extended the comment schedule on a hearing examiner's proposal rejecting a proposed rate cut for Ameritech-Illinois. (5/24/01) Briefs on exception now are due June 13, and reply briefs on exception are due June 25. Briefs originally were due June 6, and replies were due June 13. The proposed order addresses renewing Ameritech's alternative- regulation plan. (Docket nos. 98-0252, 98-0335, 00-0764) ______________________________________________________ ILLINOIS -- Essex asks ICC to settle interconnect dispute Essex Telecom, Inc., has asked the Commerce Commission to settle a dispute the company is having with Gallatin River Communications LLC over implementing their interconnection agreement. According to Essex, Gallatin wants Essex to bear the entire cost of the originating switching and transport within and from each Gallatin local calling area to the interconnection point (IP). Essex has selected the Gallatin tandem in Dixon as its IP in the LATA (local access and transport area). Essex has established collocation with Gallatin in Dixon. The Essex switch is in Sterling. Essex says it wants to serve some customers "though what Gallatin describes as 'virtual NXX service.'" Essex, however, says it provides service between the customer's physical location and the NXX on its network. According to Essex, "Gallatin takes the position that Essex must compensate Gallatin for calls originated by Gallatin's customers, routed over Gallatin's network, delivered to Essex at the IP and then transported and terminated from the Dixon IP to the Sterling POP to any user not physically located in the same NXX rate center as the calling party." Essex says Gallatin demands that it (1) have its customers pay Gallatin for a business line between Dixon and Sterling, (2) resell Gallatin's business line service to its customers, or (3) pay exchange access to Gallatin before it will exchange such traffic. (Docket no. 01-0427 - Complaint and Request for Dispute Resolution of Essex Telecom, Inc., Against Gallatin River Communications LLC) ______________________________________________________ FLORIDA -- Sprint wants Verizon to resell features on 'stand- alone' basis Sprint Communications Co. LP has asked the Public Service Commission to require Verizon Florida, Inc., to resell its features on a stand-alone basis. Verizon won't resell its features at wholesale rates unless they are packaged with Verizon's local dial-tone service, Sprint said. Verizon's refusal to resell its features on a stand-alone basis prevents Sprint from offering Internet call waiting or forwarding to a wireless phone, "follow me" service, and "competitive" voice-mail service, Sprint said in a petition asking the commission to arbitrate renewal of its interconnection agreement with Verizon. ______________________________________________________ CONNECTICUT -- '711' to be operational by mid July The Department of Public Utility Control has set a July 16 implementation date for access to the state's telecommunications relay service (TRS) using the abbreviated dialing code "711." Currently, the state's TRS is accessed using an "800" number. (5/18/99) Because a majority of carriers support the "implementation of education and outreach programs," the Department also has required all carriers to develop and submit a 711 education and outreach program jointly. (Docket no. 99-05-15, DPUC Investigation into the Use of 711 dialing to Access Telecommunications Relay Service network) ______________________________________________________ MAINE -- Report extends area code's projected exhaust The projected exhaust date for the "207" area code has been lengthened by three years, according to a recent report by the North American Numbering Plan administrator (NANPA). The area code, now projected to exhaust during third quarter 2005, was delayed by the implementation of 1,000-number block pooling in June 2000. "Given that three years ago, the [NANPA] told us that a new area code would be needed by June of 2000, we believe our efforts have been well spent," said Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Welch. ______________________________________________________ MICHIGAN -- '269' to be new area code for '616' 'split' The Public Service Commission has announced that "269" has been assigned as the new area code for the portion being "split" from the "616" area code. The PSC order the split to relieve number exhaustion in 616 earlier this week. (6/6/01) A north/south geographic split will be implemented with a dividing line that follows the northern boundaries of Saugatuck, Hamilton, Hopkins, Wayland, Middleville, Hastings, and Woodland rate centers. Customers in and to the south of these rate centers will receive a new area code. Customers to the north of the rate centers will retain 616. Permissive dialing will begin by July 13, 2002, and mandatory dialing will begin Feb. 15, 2003. Wireless carriers will have an extended permissive dialing period through Feb. 15, 2004. (Case no. U-12850) ______________________________________________________ COLORADO -- ICG to withdraw from residential market Bankrupt competitive local exchange carrier ICG Communications, Inc., has informed the Public Utilities Commission that it plans to withdraw from the residential local exchange service market. The PUC will consider the application during its June 27 regular meeting, a PUC spokeswoman told TR. She said that ICG hasn't disclosed to the PUC the number of Colorado residential customers that it has. ______________________________________________________ ILLINOIS -- City mulls license for AT&T Wireless Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (D.) yesterday introduced an ordinance that would authorize the Department of Aviation to enter a license agreement with AT&T Wireless Services, Inc. Under the agreement, AT&T would construct, install, operate, and maintain radio-frequency transmission and reception systems at O'Hare International and Midway airports. ______________________________________________________ KANSAS -- KCC wants more data on SW Bell OS proposal The Corporation Commission has extended the deadline for reviewing Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.'s application to deregulate its operator and directory assistance services. The commission extended the deadline from May 21 to June 25. The staff asked the commission provide more time to review SW Bell's request. "No service-specific data has been provided to support [SW Bell's] claim of rampant competition for these operator services," the staff said. (Docket no. 01-SWBT-932-MIS) ______________________________________________________ NORTH CAROLINA -- Nextel transfers long distance customers to ComTech21 The Utilities Commission has approved Nextel Long Distance's application to transfer about 990 of its long distance customers to ComTech21 LLC. ComTech21 will notify affected customers that it will provide service at the same or better rates and that customers have the right to switch their long distance service to another provider. (Docket nos. P-735, sub 1; P-995, sub 1) ______________________________________________________ CALIFORNIA -- Cogent enters Santa Clara market Cogent Communications, Inc., today announced that it has begun providing high-speed Internet service to Santa Clara customers. The company serves commercial end-user tenants and service providers in central business districts or business corridors of major cities, including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Denver, Boston, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C. ______________________________________________________ DELAWARE, MARYLAND, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA -- Cavalier Telephone to acquire Connectiv Cavalier Telephone LLC, a Virginia-based competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), has entered into an agreement to acquire Connectiv Communications, Inc., a CLEC based in Newark, Del. The merger will result in the largest CLEC in the Mid Atlantic, with 130,000 installed telephone lines and 1,200 miles of fiber optic cable. It will serve Delaware, northern Maryland, southern New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, and Virginia. ======================== END ========================= To view this issue online, go to http://www.tr.com/statenews/. Federal law prohibits duplication in any form, including electronic, without permission of the publisher. TR's State NewsWire Copyright 2000, 2001 Telecommunications Reports International, Inc. (ISSN 1082-9350) is transmitted each business day, except holidays. Telecommunications Reports International, Inc. 1333 H St. NW, Suite 100-E Washington, DC 20005-4707 Jennifer Erschen, E-mail: mailto:jerschen@tr.com Editor Gayle Kansagor, E-mail: mailto:gkansagor@tr.com Associate Editor-Online Publications Steve Arlowe, E-mail: mailto:sarlowe@tr.com Senior Research Analyst Susan McGovern, E-mail: mailto:smcgovern@tr.com Senior Telecommunications Analyst Victoria Curtis, E-mail: mailto:vcurtis@tr.com Senior Research Analyst Account Services: Eileen Callahan (202) 312-6116, (202) 312-6065 (fax), E-mail: mailto:ecallahan@tr.com
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