GCI Asks FCC To Revisit Equal Access, Dialing Parity Relief for Rural Alaska

rules were no longer needed to ensure long-distance providers could compete with the long-distance services of local incumbents, though it provided some “grandfathering” protections for existing services. The forbearance, “without regard to the level of competition for local services or the status of equal access deployment, threatens to send or suspend consumers in some of the most remote areas of the country in a 1980s time warp for their long distance services. The relief granted was overbroad,” said GCI in a petition for reconsideration posted Thursday in docket 14-192. GCI said stand-alone long-distance service is common in rural Alaska, unlike in the rest of the nation. “GCI estimates that it is the presubscribed [interexchange carrier] for perhaps one-third of rate-of-return customers in Alaska,” it said. Tim Stelzig, GCI federal regulatory attorney, added: “Equal access continues to be a unique source of competition between long distance providers in Alaska. We don’t believe the Commission intended to send rural Alaskans back to the 1980s when high costs made many families think twice before picking up the phone to make a long distance call.” The Alaska Telephone Association is reviewing the equal access issue but hasn't taken a position on the GCI petition. "Over the years we've seen that applying broad policies in Alaska sometimes has unintended consequences, so at times it's been necessary to tailor rules to fit our unique network," emailed Executive Director Christine O'Connor. "I expect there will be contrasting opinions on the petition," she added, calling ATA a "diverse group" of ILECs and wireline and wireless competitors.