BellSouth withdraws long-distance applications for Georgia and Louisiana

BellSouth has withdrawn its applications to provide in-region long-distance service under Section 271 of the Telecom Act of 1996. The applications were filed in October.

FCC chairman Michael Powell said in a statement that questions remain--despite “extensive conversation and collaboration” between the commission and BellSouth--whether the carrier “has satisfied the rigorous requirements of the statute and our precedents, including the adequacy of the company's operational support systems (OSS), the integrity of its performance data and its change management process, and related issues.”

A spokesman for BellSouth said the carrier has met the requirements of the Telecom Act, particularly since making OSS improvements since the applications were filed. The spokesman said the FCC would not consider new data once an application has been filed, so BellSouth determined the best course of action was to withdraw the applications and re-file them with the new data.

“As each day goes by, we get better information, but commission rules state that you have to ‘freeze frame’ the picture as it is on the day you file, so that everyone can have access to the same information through the comment process,” he said.

The FCC identified five problem areas, according to BellSouth. One concerns integration, which is defined as the ability to transfer information--without manual intervention--from the incumbent carrier’s computers to computers located at a competitive carrier and then submit the order in one simultaneous process.

“We have CLECs doing this, so we know it works,” BellSouth’s spokesman said.

Other areas of concern include service-order accuracy, data accuracy, change control--the process BellSouth uses to communicate the timing and nature of any changes it plans to make to its systems so CLECs can make corresponding adjustments to their systems--and access to due dates, the process that confirms for competitive carriers when a customer’s service will be switched from BellSouth to the CLEC.

A computer glitch that inadvertently provided a competitive carrier with two different changeover dates is to blame for the questions concerning the access to due-dates process, according to BellSouth’s spokesman. The spokesman said BellSouth is unsure when it will re-file its Georgia and Louisiana applications but noted the Bell company still believes it will have 271 approval in all nine states by this time next year.

“This is a significant setback for these two states, but we don’t think this will affect the timetable for the rest of our states,” he said. “The other state commissions are busy doing their thing, and we feel we’re getting closer to where we need to be. But I can assure you that we will look more closely at these five issues when we prepare future applications.”

CompTel President H. Russell Frisby Jr., said BellSouth has bigger problems than it admits, calling the Georgia and Louisiana applications “fatally flawed.” He said in a statement that the FCC’s request for additional information “sends a clear message” to the Bell companies regarding their business practices.

“CompTel members have serious concerns about BellSouth’s operations support systems and data accuracy problems. We are also alarmed by its anti-competitive win-back/retention efforts that are illegal and must be stopped,” he said.