NARUC Notebook...
NARUC Telecom Committee unanimously adopted policy resolution Mon. on unbundled network elements (UNE) that had been supported unanimously Sun. by telecom staffs. Resolution urges FCC, in its current triennial review of minimum national unbundling requirement, to continue allowing states to order additional network unbundling. Resolution said states were in best position to determine whether their particular market conditions required unbundling beyond national minimum standards and that such additional unbundling was consistent with procompetition intent of Telecom Act. Telecom Committee will take up Tues. another resolution urging FCC to adopt minimum national performance standards and monitoring system for incumbent telcos’ special access services. Resolution was supported unanimously by telecom staffs despite heavy lobbying by industry against it.
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Some state regulators said they had experienced sharp resurgence in slamming, cramming, misbilling and other types of consumer telecom complaints in last year. In consumer affairs staff subcommittee session Sun. at NARUC winter committee meetings in Washington, regulatory staffers cited examples such as Tex. with 50% rise in telecom complaints and Maine with 40% increase in last year. Hardest type of complaints to resolve, said Derek Davidson of Maine PUC, were CLEC v. incumbent telco. While relatively few in number, he said, those complaints put heavy drain on scarce regulatory resources because neither side was willing to concede anything, meaning every single issue and sub-issue must be litigated fully.
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Plan by NARUC Telecom and Consumer Affairs Committees to present debate Wed. between members of Congress on how successful Telecom Act has been in addressing industry issues had to be scuttled when NARUC couldn’t find member of either chamber willing to speak for Act. NARUC was able to get Rep. DeFazio (D-Ore.) to speak against law, but member who had expressed an interest in speaking in favor of bill cancelled due to timing conflict. NARUC legislative affairs dir. Jessica Zufolo said she approached everyone in Senate and House knowledgeable on telecom issues but found no one willing to speak in Act’s defense. Consumer Affairs Chmn. Pam Nelson of S.D. PUC said unwillingness of those who voted for Act to “come forth and defend it kind of speaks volumes.”