Tennessee commission endorses BellSouth 271 application

The Tennessee Regulatory Authority yesterday unanimously voted to endorse BellSouth’s application to provide long-distance service in the state under Section 271 of the Telecom Act.

The TRA also approved BellSouth’s statement of generally accepted terms and conditions (SGAT), which outlines interconnection rates and conditions. BellSouth said the SGAT would be one piece of evidence considered by the FCC as it determines whether BellSouth’s network is open to competition in Tennessee.

BellSouth said competitors control more than 12% of access lines in the state, and more than 30% of lines serving business customers. Competitors serve about 400,000 customers statewide, said BellSouth.

The carrier received FCC approval on May 15 to provide long-distance service in Georgia and Louisiana. It currently has a five-state application pending at the commission that covers Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

--Glenn Bischoff, Senior Writer