SBC FILES FOR LONG DISTANCE ENTRY IN ARK., MO.
SBC asked FCC Mon. for permission to offer long distance service to customers in Ark. and Mo. and said its Sec. 271 application had support of state regulators in Ark. and Mo. To gain FCC approval for long distance entry, SBC must show it has opened its local networks to competition, trade-off required by Telecom Act. Company said local competitors in Ark. and Mo. used same operations support systems, performance measurement plan and “essentially the same interconnection provisions” that FCC already had approved for use by CLECs in Tex., Kan., Okla. Commission approved SBC entry in those 3 states, and company said it now served more than 2.8 million long distance lines there.
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This is 2nd time that SBC has sought entry in Mo. It filed on April 4, then withdrew it to respond to FCC requests for more information. SBC Senior Vp Priscilla Hill-Ardoin said new Mo. application answered questions agency had raised about pricing, access to installation and repair databases, and compliance with court decision on resale of advanced services. SBC’s Mo. application said competitors were serving an estimated 10.2%-15.3% of access lines in SBC’s territory there. SBC said it had more than 110 interconnection or resale agreements with competitors in Mo. and 27 of them were providing facilities-based local voice service favored by Congress and FCC.
In Ark., competitors serve estimated 8.6%-10.3% of access lines in SBC territory and 12 CLECs provide facilities-based, local voice service, SBC said. Company pointed out that CLECs in Ark. served higher percentage of residential customers than were served in Kan. at time of SBC’s application for service there.
FCC issued calendar for reviewing SBC’s application: (1) Sept. 10 deadline for comments, including those of Ark. and Mo. PSCs. (2) Sept. 24 for Dept. of Justice evaluation. (3) Oct. 4 for reply comments. (4) Nov. 18 deadline for FCC to make decision. Telecom Act requires agency to complete review in 90 days.
WorldCom spokeswoman said company still was concerned about pricing in Mo. SBC’s Mo. petition was “premature the first time and nothing has changed,” she said. Prices there still aren’t cost based and “and will prevent competitors like WorldCom from entering” local market. She said WorldCom also had concerns about pricing and competitive situation in Ark. AT&T spokeswoman said her company still was evaluating SBC’s application.