MCI Offers Wholesale Customers Savings with New VoIP Product

MCI Introduced a new Carrier IP Termination product, using a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) interface, that enables wholesale customers to recognize savings when terminating IP originated calls to the public switched telephone network (PTSN). The new service eliminates the need for a carrier to convert traffic to TDM prior to handing traffic off to MCI's global IP network. The new SIP based product, together with the existing TDM-based Carrier IP Termination product, provides wholesale customers the ability to hand-off traffic using the transport method which best suits their needs

Verizon Wireless Requests Location Deadline Extension

Verizon Wireless asked the FCC for an additional six months to meet regulator requirements that 95 percent of its cellphones be able to pinpoint an e911 caller's location. The company reported that about 91 percent of its customers now have phones that would be able to identify the location of 911 emergency service callers and anticipates approximately 93 percent of its phones will meet the FCC imposed year-end deadline. Sprint Nextel had previously requested an extension of the deadline until 2007 and Alltel had asked to extend the deadline until June, 2007. CTIA, the wireless industry association, has called for a suspension of the deadline.

Missouri PSC Grants CenturyTel Competitive Classification for Some Exchanges

The Missouri Public Service Commission granted CenturyTel of Missouri competitive classification for residential services in the Dardenne, O'Fallon, St. Peters and Wentzville exchanges. CenturyTel was also granted competitive classification for business services in Bourbon, Columbia, Cuba, O'Fallon, St. James, St. Peters and Wentzville exchanges. CenturyTel withdraw its original request for competitive status for residential services in Bourbon, Branson and Columbia exchanges and for business services in the Dardenne exchange. The competitive classification permits CenturyTel to set telephone rates at its own discretion. The PSC will continue to regulate quality of service, service termination and other billing issues.

SCC Approves New Local Telephone Service Rules and Telecom Bill of Rights for Virginia

As competition replaces regulation of local phone rates and service offerings, the SCC (State Corporation Commission) has set new standards designed to measure the health of Virginia's telecommunications network. Effective November 1, 2005 new service quality rules apply to all providers of local telephone service in Virginia. The rules set standards for handling customer complaints, reaching the business office, completing installation and repair orders; and disclosing rates and charges upon customer request.

The SCC also endorsed a Telecommunications Bill of Rights, a consumer friendly summary of existing state and federal laws and regulations. LECs have been asked by the SCC to publish the Bill of Rights in their telephone directories. The Bill of Rights advises consumers they have the right to such things as affordable and quality local telecom services, seamless service when changing local service providers, keeping their current phone number when changing providers and maintaining local phone service during a dispute with a provider as well as number of other rights. A toll free phone number and SCC website have been established to assist Virginia telephone customers in filing complaints and resolving disputes with their local service provider.

Georgia PSC "Detariffs" Certain BellSouth Products and Services

BellSouth is no longer required to file and maintain tariffs or promotions for new and most existing retail services, bundles, contracts, and contract service arrangements with the Georgia Public Service Commission. BellSouth will continue to notify customers of any changes and post them on their website. BellSouth will notify the Commission staff and the Consumers' Utility Counsel of any changes to the prices, terms or conditions of the its detariffed services. The Commission has the authority to resolve customers' complaints related to the detariffed services.

Wisconsin PSC Lifts SBC Price Restrictions on Basic Residential Service

The Commission removed restrictions that limited how much SBC could raise its basic residential services rates without Commission review or approval in 17 exchanges. However, the Commission also set the following consumer protections:

• SBC can increase rates for basic local exchange service by no more than $2.50 per year for two years. Restrictions would be removed after that time.

• SBC must increase rates uniformly in each rate group in all the exchanges and promotions that are offered within each rate group must be consistent.

• SBC must provide data to the PSC so they can, in each of the two years, analyze the impact of lifting the price restrictions on consumers and competition.

The Commission will still regulate service quality and can order SBC back to regulation under price restrictions if consumer telecom choices become too limited.

SBC Competitive Classification Request in Missouri Approved

The Missouri Public Service Commission granted SBC Missouri competitive classification for residential services in 51 exchanges and for business services in 30 exchanges. The ruling permits SBC to raise or lowers it telephones prices at its own discretion. The Commission noted that in nearly all the affected exchanges there are multiple competitive local exchange companies actively competing with SBC; there are at least two wireless providers in each exchange; and the majority of the exchanges have one or more VoIP providers.

Michigan Public Service Commission Grants Local Exchange Service Licenses

The Missouri PSC granted Votatel a license to provide basic local exchange service; Vilaire Communications and Phone Express Michigan, Inc., temporary licenses to provide basic local service; and Buckeye TeleSystem, Inc., an amended license altering its geographic service area.

BellSouth Delays Local Service Rate Adjustments in Florida Due to Hurricane Wilma

BellSouth will postpone a Florida local service rate change scheduled to go into affect on November 5, 2005 for a period of approximately two weeks. However, customers will immediately benefit from a reduction in long distance carriers' access charges scheduled to take effect November 1, 2005.

Sprint Nextel Forms Joint Venture with Four Major Cable Operators

Sprint Nextel, Comcast Corporation, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications announced a $200 million deal that will give cable operators entry into the wireless realm by allowing consumers to watch live and recorded TV on their wireless devices. The combination will give consumers voice, video, internet and wireless in a single package at one price and on one bill. The deal calls for the four cable operators to invest a combined $100 million matched by Sprint Nextel's $100 million investment to develop technology that can deliver cellular and cable services. The services will be sold by the cable operators and through Sprint's arrangement with Radio Shack. Each cable company will provide customer service for cell subscribers within its territory and bundle the charges for wireless on a single bill — considered a key selling point for consumers.

The move into wireless by the cable companies follows a major push into residential phone service, another effort to protect their turf from a coming invasion by the nation's two largest telephone companies, Verizon Communications Inc. and SBC Communications Inc. Verizon and SBC are spending billions to upgrade their copper networks with fiber-optic cables and each plan pay-video ventures by the end of the decade.

Sprint Nextel, unlike most of its cellular rivals, has built a large business selling wholesale wireless capacity to other companies wanting to introduce their own competing cell brands. With tens of millions of video subscribers in the cable industry, this deal would mark the biggest such initiative for Sprint.

Another notable aspect of the Sprint-cable deal is a plan by the five companies to explore developing new services using new wireless technologies that can cover a far wider area than cellular signals. Sprint Nextel is a major holder of licenses to use the radio spectrum that can deliver the longer range signals.

BellSouth and Yahoo! Partner to Offer Co-Branded Broadband

Beginning in late 2006, new BellSouthⓇ FastAccessⓇ DSL residential subscribers throughout nine states will be given a full range of Yahoo! services at no additional charge. Existing customers will be given the option of adding the service. New services will include a more powerful customized browsing environment, access to more than 750,000 content sources from the Web, 2 gigabytes of storage for primary email accounts, a suite of digital photo features with unlimited storage and premium level internet radio.

BellSouth Utilizes Innovative MPLS Technology to Link Multi-Location Enterprises

Businesses faced with the challenge of linking multiple office locations throughout the country will have new options in the first quarter of 2006. BellSouth will offer business customers a solution using the security and flexibility of Sprint's Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) to allow internetworking of multiple access methods. This managed network-based solution will enable companies to manage their disparate networks across their organization.

Qwest Adds New Billing Option for IP Voice Terminating Service

Qwest is enhancing their IP voice terminating service by providing operating company number-based (OCN) billing to wholesale facilities-based carrier customers. The new billing option provides pricing at the individual OCN/LATA level. With the OCN billing option wholesale customers will receive pricing that includes over 25,000 OCN-based rates. Qwest's IP voice terminating service allows customers to deliver IP voice traffic directly to Qwest for termination to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) without the traffic from IP to time division multiplex (TDM).