Verizon submitted Sec. 271 application at FCC Mon. for R.I., 5th ...

carrier had met all 14 points of Telecom Act’s open local market checklist. PUC ordered some changes in wholesale service performance assurance plan but said local markets were fully open to competition. FCC has 90 days to review Verizon’s R.I. long distance application. PUC and Justice Dept. each will provide recommendations to Commission before decision. Other upcoming FCC dates are Dec. 12 and 13 for ex parte meetings related to comments, with comments on application due Dec. 17, same day PUC comments are due. Dept. of Justice evaluation is due at FCC Jan. 4 and ex parte meetings related to reply comments will be Jan. 7-8, reply comments Jan. 10. Donna Cupelo, regional pres. of Verizon in Mass. and R.I., said “local competition is already thriving in Rhode Island. But in states where Verizon has received long distance approval from the FCC, our entry has stimulated even greater competition, not only in long distance offerings, but also in local service packages.” Verizon said KPMG Consulting, which R.I. PUC had hired, had undertaken “exhaustive review” to verify that operations support systems in state were same as those in Mass., where Verizon’s Sec. 271 application was approved by FCC in April. “Based on that review, KPMG concluded that Verizon’s systems in Rhode Island would provide equivalent or superior results,” Verizon said. As example, Cupelo said company met specified intervals for providing interconnection trunks to CLECs and providing physical colocation arrangements to competitors 100% of time.