Indicating FCC staff has been questioning at least one aspect of ...

FCC action on that application is Dec. 31. At issue, according to filing, is whether BellSouth has properly integrated its preordering and ordering functions. Competitors must be able to electronically transfer preordering information such as customer’s address onto order forms that won’t be rejected by incumbent’s operations support system (OSS). Process involves competitors’ transferring preorder information from incumbent OSS to their own back office systems and then back into incumbents’ ordering interface. BellSouth said it submitted evidence of compliance to PSCs in both Ga. and La. No CLEC challenged integration issue in Ga. and AT&T was only one to raise it in La., BellSouth said, and AT&T “has no significant local competition activities” in that state. BellSouth said FCC staff raised concerns in Nov. 20 meeting and company responded by submitting letters from 3 competing carriers -- GoComm, Momentum Business Solutions and Access Integrated Networks -- that said they hadn’t had problems with integrating preordering and ordering. “Importantly, even prior to the filing of this additional material, BellSouth, as well as the [Ga. and La. PSCs] had clearly submitted evidence satisfying the prima facie proof requirements,” carrier said. BellSouth also disputed recent WorldCom ex parte filing that raised integration issue. Bottom line, BellSouth said: (1) At least 4 competing carriers have integrated preordering and ordering. (2) Ga. and La. PSCs have found integration is functioning properly as has KPMG testing company.