Subject: LCI to NY PSC - Objections to Closed Door Meetings with Bell Atlantic
James Love (love@cptech.org)
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 10:46:36 -0500
Message-Id: <3525045C.A74E23E9@cptech.org> Date: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 10:46:36 -0500 From: James Love <love@cptech.org> To: Roundtable <roundtable@cni.org> Subject: LCI to NY PSC - Objections to Closed Door Meetings with Bell Atlantic
For those who don't know how the NY PSC works, this April 2, 1998
letter from H. Russell Frisby, Jr. and Anne Bingaman to John O'Mara
is a useful document. Jamie
James Love
<love@cptech.org>
--------
April 2, 1998
VIA FACSIMILE 518/486-5710
The Honorable John F. O'Mara
Chairman
State of New York Public Service Commission
3 Empire State Plaza, 20th Floor
Albany, NY 12223-1350
The Honorable Lawrence G. Malone
General Counsel
State of New York Public Service Commission
3 Empire State Plaza, 18th Floor
Albany, NY 12223-1350
RE: Docket #97-C-0271
Dear Chairman O'Mara and Mr. Malone:
Communications Daily reported today what is already widely known
throughout the industry, that Bell Atlantic executives have been
closeted all week with the New York Public Service Commission (PSC)
staff concerning "steps Bell Atlantic will be required to take" to enter
the long distance market, i.e., engaged in negotiations with the staff
of the New York PSC.
We further understand that one or more individuals representing other
carriers are or also may be present in these closed door negotiations
concerning revisions to the Draft Pre-Filing Statement issued by staff
for comment on March 17, 1998. The undersigned, as President of the
Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel), and President of
the Local Services Division of LCI International, Inc. (LCI), hereby
urgently and in the strongest terms request that Mr. Frisby be admitted
to sit at the table with Bell Atlantic, any other carriers, and the New
York PSC staff, so that all companies can have an equal chance to
participate in these important negotiations.
We want to make it clear that, as the LCI Emergency Motion filed March
19, 1998 requested, we continue to believe that by far the better and
more appropriate course for the Commission is to immediately cease these
closed door, private negotiations, and instead to hold evidentiary
hearings on the all-important unbundled network element ( UNE) platform
prior to reaching any decision on Bell Atlantic's Section 271
application. We reiterate that request here.
If, however, the Commission denies this request, and continues with its
current closed door meetings on the subject of Bell Atlantic's Section
271 application, then in the most basic application of concepts of
fundamental fairness, Mr. Frisby, as President of CompTel, should be
heard throughout this process to voice the deep concerns of smaller
companies who provide important price and quality competition for New
York's residential and long distance consumers.
Mr. Frisby can be at your offices early on the morning of Friday, April
3, 1998, if the Commission determines to continue this process without
holding evidentiary hearings on the UNE platform issue.
Sincerely,
H. Russell Frisby, Jr. Anne K. Bingaman
President President, Local Services Division
Competitive Telecommunications LCI International, Inc.
Association
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