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 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov 
 ftp.  fcc.  gov 
 DA  01-  1173 
 Released:  May  8,  2001 


 REMINDER  TO  COMMON  CARRIERS  REGARDING  DISCONTINUANCE  OF 
 DOMESTIC  SERVICE  UNDER  SECTION  214  OF  THE  COMMUNICATIONS  ACT 


 The  Network  Services  Division  of  the  Common  Carrier  Bureau  reminds  common  carriers 
 that  section  214  of  the  Communications  Act  of  1934  requires  that  they  obtain  Commission 
 authorization  before  discontinuing,  reducing,  or  impairing  domestic  common  carrier  service.  1  Part 
 63  of  the  Commission’s  rules,  which  implements  section  214,  provides  for  a  streamlined  public 
 notice  and  automatic  grant  process  for  obtaining  authority  to  discontinue  domestic  service.  2 


 Common  carriers  are  also  reminded  that  the  requirements  of  section  214  apply  to 
 discontinuances  of  domestic  service  of  all  types,  including  but  not  limited  to  discontinuances 
 resulting  from  sales  of  exchanges  by  local  exchange  carriers,  sales  of  customer  bases  by 
 interexchange  resellers,  and  dissolutions  of  business  or  bankruptcy.  Common  carriers  are  further 
 reminded  that  these  requirements  are  separate  from  and  in  addition  to  the  requirements  in  the 
 Commission's  rules  designed  to  prevent  slamming,  3  and  that,  when  carriers  comply  with,  or  obtain 
 waivers  of,  the  Commission’s  slamming  rules  to  facilitate  their  acquisitions  of  customer  bases,  the 
 selling  carriers  in  such  transactions  must  comply  with  the  Commission’s  Part  63  discontinuance 
 rules. 


 Questions  regarding  these  matters  should  be  directed  to  Marty  Schwimmer  of  the 
 Common  Carrier  Bureau’s  Network  Services  Division  at  (202)  418-  2320  or  by  e-  mail  at 
 mschwimm@  fcc.  gov. 


 -FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION- 


 1  47  U.  S.  C.  §214. 
 2  See  47  C.  F.  R.  §  63.71.  Section  214  also  requires  prior  Commission  authorization  for  construction,  acquisition, 
 operation,  and  transmission  over  lines  of  communication,  for  which  section  63.  01  the  Commission’s  rules  grants 
 blanket  domestic  authorization.  47  C.  F.  R.  §  63.  01.  See  Implementation  of  Section  402(  B)(  2)(  A)  of  the 
 Telecommunications  Act  of  1996,  Petition  for  Forbearance  of  the  Independent  Telephone  &  Telecommunications 
 Alliance,  Report  &  Order  in  CC  Docket  No.  97-  11  and  Second  Memorandum  Opinion  &  Order  in  AAD  File  No. 
 98-  4314,  FCC  Rcd  11364  (1999). 


 3  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  64.1100  et  seq. 
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