Draft FCC Order Grants Qwest Forbearance from ARMIS Reporting Requirements
An FCC draft order grants Qwest forbearance from Automated Reporting Management Information System requirements, an FCC official said Wednesday. If adopted, the order would kill leftover ARMIS reports on financial information not covered in a September FCC order granting a similar petition by AT&T, the official said. Commissioners must vote on the order -- now circulating -- by Dec. 12, or the Qwest petition will be deemed granted.
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Meanwhile Wednesday, the FCC extended by 90 days the statutory shot clock on a similar ARMIS forbearance petition by Verizon. The petition is now due for review by Feb. 24. An FCC spokesman declined to comment on the timing or status of the Qwest petition.
The FCC gave Qwest and Verizon much of the ARMIS forbearance they asked for in September, when the agency granted an AT&T forbearance petition and extended relief to all price-cap incumbent carriers (CD Sept 9 p1). But Qwest and Verizon asked for more relief than did AT&T, so their petitions remained active.
Since the draft’s circulation, the eighth floor has seen little lobbying on the Qwest ARMIS forbearance, said the FCC official, who recalled only one telephone call on the issue so far. That could mean low interest, but a full plate of important issues at the commission, including overhauls for the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation, might also be reason for the lull, the official said.
Opponents of ARMIS forbearance haven’t lost interest, said an industry official close to the proceeding. CompTel plans to meet with the commission after the Thanksgiving holiday, and has invited others to join, the official said. - - Adam Bender