Telco Access Alert is a regular update of new and ongoing telecommunications regulatory proceedings at the state and federal levels.

Interstate Access Charge Proceedings for February 2013

Compiled by Andrew Regitsky, President, Regitsky & Associates

WC Docket No. 13-39 – FCC Initiates Proceeding to Address Call Completion Issues

On February 7, 2013, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), beginning a proceeding designed to develop rules to address problems in the completion of long-distance calls to rural end user customers.  Industry comments are due 30 days after the NPRM is published in the Federal Register.  Reply comments are due 15 days later ...

FCC Docket 05-25 – Special Access Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – CLECs Seek Immediate Restrictions on ILEC Special Access Pricing

In comments filed on February 11, 2013, a group of CLECs filed a joint proposal in the FCC”s Special Access Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requesting the Commission to take immediate action to limit ILEC special access market power.  The proposal came in response to the Commission asking whether ILEC special access terms and conditions that impose shortfall, overage and early termination penalties combined with the potential loss of a discount for failing to meet the requisite commitment level, effectively lock in customer demand and deter market entry by preventing purchasers from switching to competitive providers ...

Docket 12-353 – Industry Comments on AT&T’s Petition Requesting the FCC to Mandate the Retirement of All TDM-Based Services/Networks and Transition to an IP-Based Network

Industry comments were filed on January 28, 2013, and reply comments on February 25, 2013 regarding AT&T’s petition requesting the Commission to develop a course of action to eliminate the requirement that carriers interconnect using their Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) networks and would require carriers to interconnect with each other utilizing Internet Protocol (IP) based networks only.  All interconnection prices, terms and conditions would be developed through carrier negotiations without following the 1996 Telecom Act section 251 requirements, and there would be testing of the IP protocol in certain test wire centers ...

Read the complete text of the FCC updates here (a PDF will open).