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AccuFactor Helps
Customers Avoid Disputes |
Tele-Tech's newest service, AccuFactor, helps
our service-provider customers resolve disputes,
bill more accurately, and gain credibility in
billing and collecting from trading partners.
AccuFactor is a unique tool that enables
Tele-Tech to assist in inter-carrier billing
accuracy by evaluating your CDRs and assigning
the proper jurisdiction to each record. You send
us the CDRs in question. We analyze each call
record, and determine if the call jurisdiction
is local, intralata or interstate in nature. We
then provide summary reports including minutes
of use for each type of jurisdiction and an
actual PLU or PIU for a specific switch, LATA,
state, or trading partner based on the CDRs
submitted.
The results of an AccuFactor study are useful in
many ways. One of the primary benefits is
quicker resolution of disputes with your trading
partners. Because the analysis and resulting PLU
is done by a neutral third party, with
jurisdictional data that is more than 99.98%
accurate, you and your trading partner can rely
on results that are both correct and without
bias. Using AccuFactor studies and the resulting
reports, disputes are settled quickly and
payment is received more rapidly.
AccuFactor reports can also be included when you
bill your trading partners, to help avoid
disputes before they start. By providing your
trading partner with detailed, accurate and
non-biased information to justify the bill you
are sending, you'll improve your chances of
avoiding time-consuming and costly disputes, and
again, receive payment more quickly.
On the accounts payable side, AccuFactor can
validate the PLU used to generate the bill. With
the data from an AccuFactor study, you can be
certain that the amount you are paying is
correct, or trigger a flag to negotiate a
reduction in the invoice if you have been
over-billed.
AccuFactor resolves many issues inherent in
today's inter-carrier billing environment. For a
free sample AccuFactor study and report, contact
Kimberly Russo at
krusso@telecomdb.com
or
800-433-6181 x7103. |
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CLECs Looking to
FCC to Reform Forbearance Process |
A group of CLECs, including XO
Communications, Cavalier Telephone & TV
and McLeod USA, recently challenged the
Federal Communications Commission
(FCC)
to adopt "10 Rules of Forbearance". The
rules are intended to make the process
by which incumbents petition the
FCC to ease regulations requiring
them to lease network elements to
competitors, more fair and equitable.
The competitors warned that under the
current rules, forbearance could allow
some incumbent carriers to deny
competitors access to critical network
facilities, reducing competition and
causing price increases for consumers
and small businesses.
Over the past two years, the
FCC has given Bell and rural
incumbent providers, sweeping relief
from government-mandated pricing and
network access; safeguards put in place
by the 1996 Telecom Act.
Last year, Verizon Communications filed
petitions asking the
FCC to lift regulations in
Boston, New York,
Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh,
Providence and
Virginia Beach that currently
require it to lease some elements of its
local networks to market entrants. If
approved, competitors could be denied
access to critical network facilities
that serve 34 million individuals in
these markets.
Under federal law, the incumbent's
requests are automatically granted if
the
FCC does not act on forbearance
petitions within a maximum of 15 months
from the date of filing. The
FCC has until
Dec. 5, 2007 to rule on the
Verizon petition.
In reference to an
FCC order issued earlier this
year granting Qwest forbearance in
Omaha, Mcleod's Vice President
and Deputy General Counsel, William
Haas, said the "lack of process" left
McLeod with "no opportunity to review or
comment or produce countervailing data."
The "10 Rules of Forbearance" include
adopting standard procedural
requirements and confirming that the
Administrative Procedures Act applies to
the petition, as well as ensuring that
the petition satisfies the forbearance
checklist. The proposed rules also
include provisions to ensure full, fair
and timely access to forbearance
petitions and documents.
Francie McComb, vice president of
regulatory affairs at Cavalier said, "We
really believe forbearance has real
consequences for residential and small
business customers. Forbearance poses a
very real threat. We ask the
FCC to defend the competitive
choice."
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Are You Paying Too Much in Access
Charges for Wireless-Originated Calls?
Per FCC
mandate, wireless calls within the
wide-ranging Major Trading Areas (MTAs)
are local for intercarrier billing
purposes and are not subject to access
charges. The ruling is straightforward
enough, but determining whether a call
is intra- or inter-MTA is not--unless
you have MTA IQ.
Some MTAs
contain over 10,000 NPA-NXXs and span
five states. Many carriers wind
up paying too much for
wireless-originated calls that were
local and therefore, not subject to
access fees. Tele-Tech's
MTA IQ
tells you in no uncertain terms whether
a call placed from a wireless phone is
local or long distance.
Simply find the
originating and terminating NPA-NXXs of the
call and use MTA IQ to determine the MTA of
each. If they are in the same MTA, it's a
local call. If not, it's subject to access
charges.
How much is
overpaying for access hurting your
bottom line. Click Here to find out how
MTA IQ can reduce your access expense.
Or call 800-433-6181
krusso@telecomdb.com.
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NPA Updates
Jeopardy
Situation for
256 NPA in Alabama
NeuStar, Inc., the North American
Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) Central
Office Code Administrator, has declared a
jeopardy situation for the 256 NPA in Alabama.
An NPA jeopardy condition exists when the
forecasted or actual demand for NXX resources
will exceed the supply during the planning and
implementation interval for relief. As of Sept,
20, 2007, interim jeopardy procedures were
posted at
www.nanpa.com
NPA 581 to
Overlay NPA 418
The Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
recently approved the introduction of a new
area code in
Quebec, Canada currently served by
area code 418. The new area code will be
implemented in an overlay
on Sept. 19, 2008. NANPA has assigned
NPA code 581 for this purpose.
The new overlay NPA will serve the same
geographic area as the existing code in
northern and eastern
Quebec, Canada including the cities
of Quebec,
Rimouski,
Chicoutimi,
Riviere-du-Loup, St.-Geroges-de-Beauce
and Thetford Mines
Area Code Relief
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC)
is currently investigating relief
alternatives for both the 715 and 920 area
codes. Area code relief involves adding a
new area code in all or part of the area
served by an existing area code that is
running out of telephone numbers. According
to the most recent projections, the 715 area
code is expected to run out of telephone
number prefixes (the 1st 3 digits of a
7-digit phone number) by the end of 2009,
while the 920 area code is expected to run
out of telephone number prefixes by
mid-2010.
Changes for
503 Area Code
Customers in 14 coastal Oregon telephone
exchanges will be joining others in the 503 area
code who dial 10 digits for local calls. The
change will take place by the spring of 2008.
NANPA estimates that 14 northern coastal
telephone exchanges will use up their remaining
telephone numbers by then. Under the plan, newly
issued numbers will have a 971 area code instead
of 503 and callers will have to dial 10 digits
for local calls. Local calls dialed with either
seven or 10-digits will be connected through
April 26, 2008. Effective
April 27, 2008 only 10-digit calls will
go through.
Idaho PUC orders "Number Pooling"
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has
been granted authority by the
FCC to order most of the states'
telecommunications providers to participate
in a number pooling program designed to
extend the life of Idaho's single "208" area
code.
It is projected that Idaho's area code will
run out of telephone
numbers in the second quarter of 2010. In an
effort to delay that, the PUC is expanding
mandatory 1,000-block number pooling to
include areas of the state beyond
Boise.
The Treasure Valley area was ordered to
participate in number pooling in 2002. A
full text of the order along with other
pertinent documents can be found at
www.puc.idaho.gov,
"File Room", Telecommunications
Cases", Case No. GNR-T-07-04.
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KFR Services,
500 Oakbrook Lane,
Summerville, SC 29485, USA
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