Verizon expects to file Sec. 271 petitions at FCC for 6 states by...
Verizon expects to file Sec. 271 petitions at FCC for 6 states by end of year, Senior Vp Thomas Tauke said Thurs. at news briefing. He told reporters that company was “now hopeful” that petition for Pa. long distance…
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entry would be filed in “early summer,” probably in June, and remaining 5 between autumn and end of year: Del., N.H., N.J., R.I., Vt. Filing time depends of when regulators in respective states finish their testing and other reviews. For example, Tauke said, Pa. PUC is targeting June 6 to prepare letter to FCC on Verizon 271, meaning PUC expects Verizon to make federal filing before that day. In answer to question, Tauke said he didn’t expect to make multistate applications, although New England states would be “me-too” applications based on Mass. filing approved recently by FCC. Rest of states, including Md., Va., W.Va. as well as D.C., probably will be sent to FCC next year and all should be approved by end of 2002, following that timetable, he said. On another issue, Tauke defended Verizon’s support of provision in Tauzin-Dingell broadband bill that would eliminate line sharing for broadband fiber loops. In first place, he said, it applies only to fiber, not copper, loops. In addition, DLECs still can lease entire fiber loop, they just can’t gain access to broadband piece separately, Tauke said. Line sharing is useful only to competitors offering ADSL service, he said, most prominently Covad. Those using XDSL need entire loop, he said. In answer to question, he said it was true that it was more expensive for ADSL provider to lease entire loop rather than obtain piece of it through line sharing. However, trade-off is that bill would enable ILECs to deploy fiber to consumers more quickly, he said. In addition, requiring ADSL competitors to lease entire loop means they would be able to offer both data and voice, which is another public policy benefit, he said. In answer to question, Tauke said he thought Senate concerns about Tauzin-Dingell bill focused primarily on portion of bill that would ease Sec. 271 restrictions for data traffic. Asked whether company would support Senate legislation that dealt instead with other issues such as deployment of fiber, Tauke said Verizon certainly wouldn’t be opposed to such measure. “It’s Tauzin-Dingell or nothing,” he said.