A Cingular request to be certified for universal service payments...

further evidence of the urgent need for reform of the High Cost Fund… Cingular’s own business strategy demonstrates that it does not need federal subsidies to offer service in Ga.” Frontier Communications said Cingular already provides service in Ga. without high cost support, “having been motivated to do so by the economic forces of profit and competition with other providers.” TDS Telecom said Cingular’s petition “makes little effort to demonstrate that it will use universal service support to serve the high-cost customers for which the Fund was intended.” Giving Cingular ETC status “will trigger an ‘arms race’ among other national wireless carriers to seek ETC designation,” Frontier said. The Independent Telephone & Telecom Alliance (ITTA), filing jointly with the Western Telecom Alliance, urged the FCC to judge Cingular’s petition “in the context of the larger proceeding on universal service reform.” Otherwise, the FCC “will continue to make within the context of ETC applications incremental decisions toward one direction, while at the same time considering universal service modifications that take a far different direction,” the groups said, referring to Cingular’s seeking ETC status in Va. OPASTCO said “the costs of [Cingular’s] designation would far outweigh any benefits to the public… As the largest wireless carrier in the United States, Cingular’s designation as an ETC in Ga. and other states could ultimately cause the High-Cost universal service program to reach an unsustainable level, thereby jeopardizing rural ILECs’ provision of affordable, high-quality, ubiquitous service to rural consumers.” CTIA said Cingular “meets the requirements for designation as an ETC” because it’s not subject to jurisdiction by state regulators. Sec. 214 of the Telecom Act gives the FCC authority to grant ETC status to carriers that aren’t governed by state commissions, Cingular said: “Since Cingular is a commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) provider not subject to the authority of the [Ga. PSC], the FCC has the authority to grant ETC status to Cingular.” CTIA said it supports the petition, noting the wireless carrier offers all 9 services required by the FCC for ETC status. “Cingular has committed to use available federal high-cost support for its intended purposes -- the construction, maintenance and upgrading of facilities serving the high-cost and rural areas,” CTIA said.