Embarq urged Ohio regulators to dismiss Office of Consumer Counse...
Embarq urged Ohio regulators to dismiss Office of Consumer Counsel objections to its petition for retail rate deregulation in 44 exchanges. Embarq called “baseless” OCC assertions that meaningful local competition doesn’t exist in 29 of the exchanges. The OCC…
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said Buckeye Telesystem, Level 3, Vonage, Packet 8 and Sprint shouldn’t count because they have no explicit connections in the 29 exchanges. But Embarq (Case 08-1041-TP-BLS) told the Public Utilities Commission it can prove these companies are linked to facilities of Time Warner Cable and Buckeye Cable, and that it has filed records of ported numbers, white pages directory listings and E-911 connections for these companies in exchanges challenged by the OCC. Embarq said Level 3 also counts because it’s been acting as a numbering resource for VoIP providers Vonage and Packet 8. Embarq denounced an OCC claim that the companies shouldn’t count as competitors because they don’t offer local services at comparable rates. The company said nothing in the law requires that competitors offer comparable rates to count as rivals. If approved, Embarq could raise monthly rates for basic exchange service $1.25 and monthly caller ID 50 cents, with all other retail service rates deregulated.