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August 2005
volume ix, number 8
Top Story
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NPA-NXX
Updates |
News &
Stuff
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Top Story
Tele-Tech Unveils Web
Site Highlighting Data Quality
Tele-Tech is
pleased to share a new area of our web site designed to keep you
informed on where our data accuracy stands on an on-going basis.
This site is the next step in the overall quality story released
last June.
Features of
Tele-Tech's new
Quality Site include valid, statistical data on the accuracy of
our local calling area databases. Updated monthly, these stats show
our previous month's accuracy based on customer-reported errors, as
well as the three-month, six-month, and twelve-month running
averages. Also accessible from the quality area of the site is our
full
Quality Story giving details about how we reached this level of
success, as well as how we calculate our stats.
Charts showing
our long term accuracy results and reason for any errors reported
are also included as part of our quality site.
"We've made
the effort to measure our quality for two reasons," explains
Tele-Tech's Vice President of Operations and Software, Stephanie
Fetchen. "First, we want to prove to ourselves that we're producing
the best quality data we can. But we also want to objectively show
our accuracy to customers and potential customers."
Tele-Tech
customers should visit our
Quality page on a regular basis to track the accuracy of the
data you receive. If you're not a current Tele-Tech customer, see
what you're missing today!
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News &
Stuff
Verizon Cuts DSL Prices
Following SBC
Communications' lead, Verizon cut the introductory price of its DSL
service by 33% in June. Customers that place an online order for a
year of digital subscriber line access, or request it as part of a
bundle, will pay around $20.00/month for the first three months of
service.
Prior to the
price cut, Verizon charged $29.95 for DSL with a one-year contract
or $37.95 when purchased month-to-month. For customers taking
advantage of the DSL price cut, Verizon will temporarily waive the
shipping and activation fees.
AT&T CallVantage Subscribers Receive VoIP E-9-1-1 Benefits
AT&T is
beginning to phase in the implementation of its Emergency 911
Service to all CallVantage subscribers with full deployment expected
by the end of the summer. E-911 service delivers the caller's name,
telephone number and service address directly to the console of the
appropriate Public Safety Point (PSAP) in the event of an
emergency.
The company
began rolling out the service on a phased, market-by-market approach
this April to eligible CallVantage subscribers. Existing subscribers
in eligible areas will receive the E-911 service automatically by
mid-summer.
BellSouth to
Deploy 60 Percent more Fiber
After a recent Supreme Court ruling stating that cable companies are
not required to share their high speed internet access facilities
with competitors, BellSouth announced it planned to deploy
fiber-to-the-curb to almost 60 percent more locations that it did in
2004.
"By rejecting
the CLEC petitions and moving quickly to bring regulatory parity for
high-speed broadband providers, the FCC can spark even more
investment and faster delivery of innovation services to customers,"
said Herschel Abbott, BellSouth Vice President for Governmental
Affairs.
BellSouth had
installed fiber in many branches of its networks, but rapidly
increased deployment after the commission's action removed the
disincentive.
SBC Not Allowed
to Deregulate in Kansas
The Kansas
Corporation Commission (KCC) denied SBC's request for price
deregulation of basic telephone service for residential, single-line
business and multi-line business in the Kansas City, Topeka and
Wichita exchanges, with one exception. Price deregulation was
approved for multi-line business subscribers in Wichita after the
KCC found sufficient competition existed.
Additionally,
the Commission found that SBC must continue to offer call management
services (Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc.) on an individual basis
under the existing price cap regulations in all three classes.
Bundles offered in Topeka exchanges will continue to be regulated;
however, the Commission granted deregulation of bundles in the
Kansas City and Wichita exchanges again after determining that there
was sufficient evidence of competition.
Qwest Notifies
Idaho PUC of Intent to Remove Services from Price Regulation
Effective August 1, 2005, Qwest intends to remove its
telecommunications services from price regulation in Idaho. Since
1989 all of Qwest's services in southern Idaho have been deregulated
but services in northern Idaho have been subject to commission
approved rates.
In 2003, and
again in 2004, Qwest sought deregulation from the Commission but was
denied because the Commission found that cell phone service did not
yet provide effective competition to landline telephone service.
However, an amendment to the statute was passed this year allowing
price deregulation.
Qwest will be
under a price cap during a three-year transition period that limits
rates to no more than the maximum rate already set buy other
regulated companies operating in rural Idaho. The Commission
reserves the right to extend the transition period to five years if
it feels it is in the public interest. Once the transition period
expires, Qwest is free to adjust rates to any amount.
Verizon Offers
E911 to its VoiceWing Subscribers
VoiceWing
customers in New York City now have full access to E911 emergency
services. If a customer's service location is in one of New York's
five boroughs the customer's 911 call will be routed to the New York
City public safety answering point, and the caller's phone number
and address information will automatically appear on the emergency
response operator computer screen.
While the E911
services aren't available in all areas, "We are working hard to
replicate the New York City arrangement in other areas so that all
our VoiceWing customers can have E911 service", said Michael Hassett,
senior vice president for Verizon's Retail Markets Group.
Additionally, Verizon is enabling all other VoIP providers in New
York City to offer E911 services to their customers.
SBC to End
In-State Long Distance in Wisconsin Exchanges
The Wisconsin
Public Service Commission has approved a request by SBC to
discontinue local toll service in several Wisconsin exchanges. The
Commission determined that there are enough telecommunication
providers to provide toll services in the exchanges, and that SBC
serves less than 50% of subscribers in the area. Effected customers
must select a new local toll carrier before SBC discontinues service
on November 1, 2005.
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Pennsylvania Rescinds Plans for Overlay of NPAs 484/610
On June 23,
2005, the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commissions adopted an order
rescinding the relief plan for NPAs 483/610. The plan called for NPA
835 to overlay the existing codes. NANPA has been ordered to reclaim
the 835 NPA and return it to the pool of available area codes.
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