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                  TR's State NewsWire

      . . .daily intelligence on communications
      industry news and policy from the editors
      of Telecommunications Reports. . .

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*Table of Contents*
November 26, 2001 

STATES
FLORIDA -- Staff proposes tandem interconnect rate rules
ARIZONA -- Cable TV providers to link networks
TEXAS -- Small ILECs oppose CPNI 'win-back' restrictions
NEW YORK -- PSC mulls putting UNE rate case on hold
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- PSC sets carrier-to-carrier guidelines
CALIFORNIA -- ALJ sets hearings on state LD entry requirements
ARKANSAS -- SBC begins offering LD service
SOUTH DAKOTA -- Telecom complaints top list
TEXAS -- American Lightwave rolls out national, reverse DA
NEVADA -- PUC to hear Global NAPs, Sprint dispute
MICHIGAN -- PSC mulls Westphalia TSLRIC study
ALASKA -- Cable Co. wants to exit market
NEW JERSEY -- Acting Gov. DiFrancesco nominates Supreme Court 
justice
PENNSYLVANIA -- Tech conference to focus on 'e-government'
CALIFORNIA -- New appeals court judge confirmed
CONNECTICUT -- Gov. Rowland nominates Appellate Court justice
WISCONSIN -- Verizon Wireless adds cell sites

______________________________________________________

FLORIDA -- Staff proposes tandem interconnect rate rules

The Public Service Commission staff has recommended rules for 
determining when incumbents must pay competitive local exchange 
carriers the tandem-interconnection rate for reciprocal 
compensation.  Competitors that don't qualify for the tandem-
interconnection rate are paid the cheaper end-office switching 
rate for reciprocal compensation. 

A competitor is entitled to receive the incumbent's tandem 
interconnection rate when its switch either "serves a comparable 
geographic area to that served by an [incumbent's] tandem switch, 
or performs functions similar to those performed by an 
[incumbent's] tandem switch," the staff said.

A competitor "serves" a comparable geographic area when it has 
deployed a switch and has opened "NXXs" to serve the exchanges 
within the area, the staff said.  The staff rejected BellSouth 
Telecommunications, Inc.'s and Verizon Florida, Inc.'s argument 
that competitors must "serve" actual customers within a 
comparable geographic area.  FCC rules permit competitors to 
qualify for the tandem interconnection rate if they serve "a 
comparable geographic area, not a comparable customer base within 
this area," the staff said.

A "comparable geographic area" includes an area that is "roughly 
the same size in comparison but not necessarily identical" to the 
area served by an incumbent's tandem switch, the staff said.  
Similar functionality is trunk-to-trunk switching, the staff 
said.  The commission is scheduled to vote on the staff's 
recommendation Dec. 5.  (Docket 000075-TP)

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ARIZONA -- Cable TV providers to link networks

A group of about 11 cable TV providers operating in Arizona have 
established a consortium called First Mile Arizona to link up 
their networks.  The consortium was launched by Cox 
Communications, Inc., the state's largest cable TV operator, in 
cooperation with the Arizona Cable Television Association (ACTA).  

ACTA Executive Director Susan Bitter Smith told TR that the 
consortium consisted of large and midsize cable TV companies that 
use combinations of hard wire and microwave facilities to serve 
their customers.  She said the first link of the statewide 
network would be activated in the eastern part of Arizona during 
first-quarter 2002.  She added that connecting the northern part 
of the state would be the next milestone.

The statewide network plan stemmed from an ASP (application 
service provider) contract Cox was awarded by the state.  Under 
the $28 million contract, Cox will provide ASP services to state 
school facilities, which includes close to one million users, a 
staff member from the Arizona Telecommunications & Information 
Council (ATIC) told TR.  

The contact also obliged Cox to deliver these services statewide 
although the company doesn't offer services everywhere in the 
state.  The consortium will help Cox fulfill its contract with 
the state by providing a network for its ASP services.  

Ms. Bitter Smith said the consortium plans to do more than just 
providing ASP services to the school systems.  She added that the 
consortium may help bring cable TV services to unserved parts of 
the state.

______________________________________________________

TEXAS -- Small ILECs oppose CPNI 'win-back' restrictions

The Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative, Inc., has asked the 
Public Utility Commission to eliminate a rule prohibiting telecom 
carriers from using a former customer's CPNI (customer 
proprietary network information) to "win back" customers who have 
switched their service to another provider.  

The PUC has proposed revising its CPNI rules to make them 
consistent with recent changes to FCC rules.  (10/22/01)  The PUC 
requested comments on whether the FCC's rules permit telecom 
providers to use a former customer's CPNI to "win back" 
customers.  The FCC's rules permit carriers to use a former 
customer's CPNI to regain that customer's business, the 
cooperative said.  The cooperative represents 19 telecom 
cooperatives and 16 small commercially owned telecom companies.  
(Project 22490)

______________________________________________________

NEW YORK -- PSC mulls putting UNE rate case on hold

The Public Service Commission has asked for comments by Nov. 28 
discussing whether its unbundled network element (UNE) rate case 
should be postponed for a limited time.  The PSC staff filed 
comments last week asking that the UNE case be held in abeyance 
"to permit the parties in the two captioned proceedings to 
fashion a comprehensive resolution. . .through a negotiated 
process."  (Case 00-C-1945 and 98-C-1357)

______________________________________________________

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- PSC sets carrier-to-carrier guidelines

The Public Service Commission has adopted new carrier-to-carrier 
(C2C) guidelines based on a Verizon Washington, D.C., Inc., 
proposed model.  The C2C guidelines measure Verizon's performance 
in providing operations support systems and other services to 
competitive local exchange carriers.

The new guidelines are based on metrics adopted last year by the 
New York Public Service Commission, but they were modified to 
"reflect systems and conditions in the District of Columbia that 
varied from those in New York."  (12/19/00)  The new guidelines 
are in effect now, but plans related to the C2C reporting 
requirements and performance assurance plans, which were 
submitted by Verizon and AT&T Corp., are under still under 
consideration by the PSC.  (Case 990, In the Matter of the 
Development of Local Exchange Carrier Quality of Service 
Standards for the District, Order 12230)

______________________________________________________

CALIFORNIA -- ALJ sets hearings on state LD entry requirements

A Public Utilities Commission administrative law judge has 
scheduled hearings for Dec. 3-5 to discuss Pacific Bell's 
compliance with the instate interLATA (local access and transport 
area) market-entry requirements in the California code.  

Section 709.2 directs the PUC to find that permitting Pacific 
Bell to enter the California interLATA market poses no 
substantial harm to the interexchange market.  The commission 
also must find that Pacific Bell's entry is based on fully open 
local exchange access and that the company isn't engaging in 
anticompetitive behavior or improper cross-subsidization.  
(5/7/01)

The ALJ said she set the hearings because several parties 
requested them.  The ALJ limited the parties to only presenting 
arguments that highlight the central points of their written 
comments, which were submitted in August.  She said no new 
evidence could be presented and parties that didn't submit 
comments therefore won't be able to participate in the hearings.

The hearings will begin with a presentation by Pacific Bell.  The 
other parties will respond in accordance with their August 
comments, and Pacific Bell will have an opportunity to reply.  
Parties interested in arguing more than one issue must send a 
list to the ALJ by Nov. 28.  (Rulemakings 93-04-003 and 95-04-043 
and Investigations 93-04-002 and 95-04-044)

______________________________________________________

ARKANSAS -- SBC begins offering LD service

SBC Long Distance, a Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. affiliate, 
today began offering long distance service to residential and 
business customers in Arkansas.  SBC already offers long distance 
service in Connecticut, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Residential customers who pay no monthly fee will pay 10 cents-
per-minute for interstate long distance calls and 12 cents-per-
minute for intrastate long distance calls.  Customers who pay a 
$4.95 monthly fee qualify for a 7 cents-per-minute rate for 
interstate and intrastate long distance calls.  Customers may 
also pay $24.95 per month for 500 minutes of long distance 
service, which equals about 5 cents-per-minute.  Calls that 
exceed the 500-minute threshold are billed at 7 cents-per-minute.

Business customers that subscribe to the company's local and long 
distance service qualify for a 7 cents-per-minute rate for 
interstate long distance calls and a 9 cents-per-minute rate for 
intrastate long distance calls.  Businesses that spend more than 
$50 a month on long distance service are charged 6-8.9 cents-per-
minute for switched long distance service and 4.2-7 cents-per-
minute for dedicated long distance service.  The rate depends on 
the customer's call volume and term commitment.  

The FCC authorized SBC to offer interLATA (local access and 
transport area) long distance services in Missouri and Arkansas 
beginning Nov. 26.  SBC's application to provide long distance 
service in Missouri is pending before the Missouri Public Service 
Commission, which is scheduled to vote on it Nov. 27.

______________________________________________________

SOUTH DAKOTA -- Telecom complaints top list

The Public Utilities Commission has received more than 164 
telecom complaints since its Nov. 8 meeting, compared to about 21 
electricity complaints and 16 natural gas complaints.

The telecom complaints included billing issues, telemarketing 
concerns, unauthorized billing, poor service, increased telephone 
rates, and "slamming."  Slamming is the unauthorized switch of a 
customer's telecom carrier.

The PUC received 2,721 consumer complaints during 2001 and 
addressed or resolved 2,571.

______________________________________________________

TEXAS -- American Lightwave rolls out national, reverse DA

American Lightwave Communications, Inc., has started offering its 
local service customers national and reverse directory assistance 
for $1.25 per call.  Reverse directory assistance provides the 
name and address associated with "published" phone numbers. 

______________________________________________________

NEVADA -- PUC to hear Global NAPs, Sprint dispute 

The Public Utilities Commission has scheduled a Dec. 11 hearing 
to consider an interconnection dispute between Global NAPs, Inc., 
and Central Telephone Co.- Nevada, d/b/a Sprint of Nevada.  
(11/05/2001)

The disputed issues include (1) whether either party should be 
required to install more than one point of interconnection per 
LATA (local access and transport area), (2) whether each party 
should be responsible for the costs associated with transporting 
telecom traffic to the single point of interconnection, (3) 
whether Sprint's calling area boundaries should be imposed on 
Global NAPs, and (4) whether Global NAPs can assign its customers 
"NXX" codes that are "homed" in a central office switch outside 
of a customer's local calling area.  

Both companies and the PUC staff must file testimony by Dec. 4  
(Docket 01-10018)

______________________________________________________

MICHIGAN -- PSC mulls Westphalia TSLRIC study

The Public Service Commission has asked for comments by Dec. 28 
on Westphalia Telephone Co.'s proposed total-service long-run 
incremental cost (TSLRIC) model, which was filed Nov. 2.  The 
commission asked parties to comment on the proposed TSLRIC 
metrics.  Replies are due Jan. 9, 2002.  (Case U-13177)

______________________________________________________

ALASKA -- Cable Co. wants to exit market

The Cable Co., Inc., has asked the Regulatory Commission of 
Alaska for authority to abandon its cable TV service area in 
Aniak.  The company said it has attempted to sell the utility, 
but added that it was "improbable" that such a sale would be 
consummated because of declining demand for cable TV service in 
the Aniak area.

Comments on the request are due Dec. 21.  (Docket U-01-103)

______________________________________________________

NEW JERSEY -- Acting Gov. DiFrancesco nominates Supreme Court 
justice 

Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco (R.) has renominated Justice James 
H. Coleman to the state Supreme Court.  Mr. Coleman's term 
expires Dec. 16.

Mr. Coleman was nominated to the state's highest court by former 
Gov. Christie Whitman (R.) in 1994.  Before his service in the 
Supreme Court, Mr. Coleman was presiding judge of the state's 
Appellate Court.

Mr. Coleman's nomination is subject to Senate approval.

______________________________________________________

PENNSYLVANIA -- Tech conference to focus on 'e-government'

The state's Intergovernmental Technology Conference has been set 
for Dec. 11-12 and will focus on Internet-based government 
services.  The seminars will include "e-government" sessions for 
technical and nontechnical government audiences, conference 
organizers said.  The event will also include sessions on "e-
learning," wireless technology, Internet technology, cybercrime, 
security, and privacy.

James Pawelczyk, assistant professor of physiology and 
kinesiology at Penn State University, will be the keynote 
speaker.  He will discuss managing technological change.

______________________________________________________

CALIFORNIA -- New appeals court judge confirmed

Judge Candace Cooper has been confirmed by the Commission on 
Judicial Appointments to be presiding justice on the Court of 
Appeals, Second Appellate District, Division Eight (Los Angeles).  
Ms. Cooper has been an associate justice is division two of the 
second appellate district since November 1999.  

The commission is composed of Chief Justice Ronald Davis, 
Attorney General Bill Lockyer, and Presiding Justice Joan Dempsey 
of the second appellate district.

______________________________________________________

CONNECTICUT -- Gov. Rowland nominates Appellate Court justice

Gov. John G. Rowland (R.) has nominated Thomas A. Bishop to the 
Connecticut Appellate Court.  Mr. Bishop has been a judge of the 
state Superior Court since November 1994.  Before joining the 
bench, he worked for the New London law firm of Suisman, Shapiro, 
Wool, Brennan & Gray, PC, for 25 years.

The nomination is subject to review by the Legislature's 
Judiciary Committee next session.  The nomination will then be 
sent to the Legislature for final confirmation.

______________________________________________________

WISCONSIN -- Verizon Wireless adds cell sites

Verizon Wireless has expanded service in the state by adding 
eight cell sites to enhance coverage in Franklin/Muskego, 
Madison, Milwaukee, Rochester, Sheboygan/Cleveland, Union Grove, 
and Windsor.  

The expansion is part of a $25 million investment in network 
improvements in the state.



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Gayle Kansagor, E-mail: mailto:gkansagor@tr.com
Editor

Susan McGovern,  E-mail: mailto:smcgovern@tr.com
Associate Editor

Victoria Curtis,  E-mail: mailto:vcurtis@tr.com
Senior Research Analyst

Michael Johnson,  E-mail: mailto:mjohnson@tr.com
Senior Telecommunications Analyst

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