Sprint, Groups Oppose ILEC Bid for Further Special-Access Comment Extension
Sprint and two carrier groups urged the FCC not to extend comment dates again in the special-access rulemaking, as requested by USTelecom and ITTA (see 1511100068). "This request amounts to yet another transparent, groundless attempt to delay action in this…
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important rulemaking,” Sprint said in opposition filed in docket 05-25 Thursday. It said the FCC should “promptly reject this request and thereby send an unambiguous message that it is committed to moving this proceeding to an expedited conclusion.” Incompas, joined by the Competitive Carriers Association, noted the incumbent telco request came less than two weeks after the commission largely granted a previous ILEC request by extending comment and reply deadlines to Jan. 6 and Feb. 5. “This time, the incumbents ask that the deadlines be delayed until 12 weeks from the time when the data set is ‘stable’ and all 'remaining impediments' to analyzing the data are removed,” Incompas and CCA said in their opposition. “The incumbent LECs have failed to show that the newly-established pleading cycle ... deprives interested parties of a reasonable opportunity to participate in this rulemaking.” Incompas and CCA disputed the ILECs’ “tired” and “implausible claim” that proceeding delays were the fault of competitors that have been seeking a new special-access framework for a decade. “Of course, it is the incumbent LECs, not the competitive LECs, that have a powerful incentive to delay the resolution of this proceeding since every extra day of delay is one more day of unreasonably high special access service profits for the incumbent LECs,” said the two competitive carrier groups. They said their members “must pay those high prices" and thus want to complete the proceeding as soon as possible. Sprint said the delays were “directly traceable to the actions of USTelecom’s members,” noting CenturyLink and Verizon filed “corrective” data submissions. Sprint, Incompas and CCA countered the USTelecom/ITTA arguments that an extension was needed to analyze the complex industry data collected by the FCC, with the competitive groups saying an ILEC expert’s declaration “exaggerates the problems with the data and the impact that these issues will have on the parties' ability to conduct a timely analysis.”