A group of 37 CLECs asked the FCC to clarify that SBC and Verizon...
A group of 37 CLECs asked the FCC to clarify that SBC and Verizon are still subject to unbundling obligations under agreements they made as part of their respective mergers with Ameritech and GTE several years ago, despite recent…
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changes in UNE rules. The CLECs petitioned the FCC for a declaratory ruling to enforce the UNE access conditions that were approved when the FCC approved the mergers. The Commission had demanded these commitments to assure competitive access “to a minimum set of UNEs” once the mergers occurred, the filing said: “The merger conditions were intended to serve, if needed, as a bridge to the promised land of certain UNE rules. The Bells would now render the conditions a bridge to nowhere, arguing they simply expired… That is not what the conditions say.” The CLECs said the FCC had been hesitant to approve the mergers because of concern the larger companies created by the unions would impede competition. The Commission approved the mergers only after SBC and Verizon pledged, among other things, to continue to provide access to their networks, the CLEC group said.