Verizon wins long distance approval for Maine

The FCC late yesterday approved Verizon Communications’ application to provide in-region long distance service in Maine under Section 271 of the Telecom Act.

Maine is the seventh state for which Verizon has gained 271 approval. The others are New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts. The carrier currently has an application pending for New Jersey. The company said it plans to file an application for New Hampshire by the end of this month.

Verizon currently has 8.2 million long distance customers in 42 states and is the fourth largest long distance carrier in the United States.

In other regulatory news, BellSouth today filed applications with the FCC to provide long distance service in Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. According to BellSouth, these states represent about 8.2 million customer lines, or about one-third of the carrier’s network.

According to BellSouth, each state commission unanimously recommended the FCC approve the carrier’s entry into long distance.

“These applications reflect BellSouth’s hard work and the investment of over $2 billion to meet the FCC requirements for long distance authority,” said Margaret Greene, BellSouth’s president-regulatory and external affairs, in a statement.

The Telecom Act requires the FCC to rule on the applications within 90 days.

Currently, BellSouth has been approved to provide long distance service in two of its nine states, Georgia and Louisiana. The carrier began long distance service in these states on May 24.

– Glenn Bischoff, senior writer