*Pages 1--2 from Microsoft Word - 15109* PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov TTY: 1- 888- 835- 5322 DA 02- 419 Released: February 22, 2002 COMMON CARRIER BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON VERIZON’S REQUEST FOR A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF TWO MERGER CONDITIONS CC Docket No. 98- 184 Comments Due By: March 1, 2002 Reply Comments Due By: March 6, 2002 On January 10, 2002, Verizon Communications, Inc. (Verizon) submitted a letter to the Common Carrier Bureau (Bureau) requesting a temporary suspension of Condition V (Carrier- to- Carrier Performance Plan) and Condition XIX (Additional Service Quality Reporting) of the Bell Atlantic/ GTE Merger Conditions. 1 Condition V requires Verizon to report monthly performance measurement data on its local wholesale operations, and to make voluntary payments for sub- standard performance. Condition XIX requires Verizon to report performance measurement data for its retail and long distance customers. Verizon seeks a three- month temporary suspension of the Condition V and XIX performance data reporting requirements for the legacy GTE portions of Pennsylvania and Virginia while it implements the OSS uniformity condition set forth in Merger Condition VI. 2 Verizon plans to implement OSS uniformity in Virginia in March 2002 and Pennsylvania in March 2003. Verizon proposes to make voluntary payments related to Condition V during this limited period based on its performance in the immediately preceding three months. The Bureau seeks comment on Verizon’s request, which is attached to this Public Notice. Pursuant to the instructions below, interested parties should submit comments no later than March 1, 2002. Reply comments should be submitted no later than March 6, 2002. This is a “permit- but- disclose” proceeding in accordance with the Commission’s ex parte rules. 3 Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentations must contain summaries of the substance of the presentations and not merely a listing of the subjects 1 See Letter from Dee May, Assistant Vice President, Federal Regulatory, Verizon, to Magalie Roman Salas, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, CC Docket No. 98- 184, at 1 (filed Jan. 10, 2002); Applications of GTE Corporation, Transferor, and Bell Atlantic Corporation, Transferee, For Consent to Transfer Control of Domestic and International Sections 214 and 310 Authorizations and Application to Transfer Control of a Submarine Cable Landing License, CC Docket No. 98- 184, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 15 FCC Rcd 14032 (Bell Atlantic/ GTE Merger Order). 2 Bell Atlantic/ GTE Merger Order at Appendix D, ¶ 19( f). 3 47 C. F. R. §§ 1.200 et seq. 1 Federal Communications Commission DA 02- 419 discussed. More than a one or two sentence description of the views and arguments presented is generally required. 4 Other requirements pertaining to oral and written presentations are set forth in section 1.1206( b) of the Commission’s rules. Interested parties may file comments by March 1, 2002 and reply comments by March 6, 2002. All filings should refer to CC Docket No. 98- 184. Comments may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. 5 Comments filed through ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to http:// www. fcc. gov/ e- file/ ecfs. html>. Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission must be filed. In completing the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, postal service mailing address, and the applicable docket number, which in this instance is CC Docket No. 98- 184. Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions for e- mail comments, commenters should send an e- mail to ecfs@ fcc. gov, and should include the following words in the body of the message: “get form< your e- mail address>.” A sample form and directions will be sent in reply. Parties who choose to file by paper should also submit their comments on diskette. These diskettes should be submitted to Ernestine Creech, Accounting Safeguards Division, Common Carrier Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12 th Street S. W., Washington, D. C. 20554. Such a submission should be on a 3.5 inch diskette formatted in an IBM compatible format using Microsoft Word or compatible software. The diskette should be accompanied by a cover letter and should be submitted in “read only” mode. The diskette should be clearly labeled with the commenter’s name, proceeding (including the docket number, in this case, CC Docket No. 98- 184), type of pleading (comment or reply comment), date of submission, and the name of the electronic file on the diskette. The label should also include the following phrase: “Disk Copy— Not and Original.” Each diskette should contain only one party’s pleading, preferably in a single electronic file. In addition, commenters must send diskette copies to the Commission’s copy contractor, Qualex International, Portals II, 445 12 th Street S. W., CY- B402, Washington, D. C. 20554. Regardless of whether parties choose to file electronically or by paper, parties should also file one copy of any documents filed in this docket with the Commission’s copy contractor, Qualex International, Portals II, 445 12 th Street S. W., CY- B402, Washington, D. C. 20554 (telephone 202- 863- 2893; facsimile 202- 863- 2898) or via e- mail at qualexint@ aol. com. Comments and reply comments must include a short and concise summary of the substantive arguments raised in the pleading. Comments and reply comments must also comply with section 1.48 and all other applicable sections of the Commission’s rules. 6 We direct all interested parties to include the name of the filing party and the date of the filing on each page of their comments and reply comments. All parties are encouraged to utilize a table of contents, regardless of the length of their submission. For further information, contact Mark Stone at (202) 418- 0816. Action by the Deputy Chief, Common Carrier Bureau. 4 See 47 C. F. R. § 1.1206( b)( 2). 5 See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24121 (1998). 6 See 47 C. F. R. § 1.49. 2