DOJ endorses Verizon’s Rhode Island 271 application

The United States Department of Justice today recommended that the FCC approve Verizon Communications’ Section 271 application to provide in-region long-distance service in Rhode Island. However, at the behest of competitive carriers, the DOJ also urged the commission to review Verizon’s pricing of unbundled network elements.

“Competitors have made significant entry into local telecommunications markets in Rhode Island,” said Charles A. James, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s antitrust division, in a statement. “The vast majority of customers now have a choice when it comes to deciding who will provide their local phone service.”

A Verizon spokesman said the company was pleased but not surprised by the endorsement, despite the fact the DOJ historically has been reticent to endorse Section 271 applications. Of the nine states that have been approved by the FCC for in-region incumbent long-distance service, only SBC Communications in its home state of Texas garnered a DOJ endorsement--and that was after being rejected in its first attempt.

“Our Rhode Island application was extremely strong,” he said. “The Justice Department recognized the strong facilities-based competition that exists up there.”

--Glenn Bischoff, senior news writer