Verizon N.Y. filed Sec. 271 application with FCC seeking approval...

distance approval in Dec. 1999. Southern New England Telephone serves most of rest of Conn., with Verizon having corner that had been part of former Nynex service area in N.Y.C. suburbs. “We are using the same wholesale systems and processes in Greenwich and Byram that the FCC reviewed when it approved our applications for New York,” Verizon Senior Vp-Public Policy & External Affairs Thomas Tauke said. “These are the systems and processes we have used to provision more than 3 million competitive lines and the same ones the FCC has already found satisfy the requirements” of Telecom Act’s interLATA 14-point checklist, Tauke said. Earlier this month, Conn. Dept. of Public Utility Control concluded Verizon met 14-point checklist in that state. Conn. filing followed FCC approval of Verizon’s long distance application in Mass. last week. DPUC also adopted performance assurance plan that is same as one approved by N.Y. PUC, with penalties scaled down to reflect Verizon’s much smaller presence in Conn. In Conn., Verizon serves 60,000 lines, which it said was about half of number that it provided to competitors in average month in N.Y. FCC has until July 20 to rule on Conn. application. In past, Verizon has referred to applications such as one in Conn. as “me-too” filings because they used same operating support systems as those in states already approved for long distance. FCC said it was seeking comments on Verizon’s Conn. application by May 14. Conn. DPUC must file consultation by May 14 and Dept. of Justice by May 29. All replies are due by June 7. MG