*Pages 1--2 from  Microsoft Word - 26343.doc*
 -FCC- 
 PUBLIC  NOTICE  Federal  Communications  Commission 
 445  12th  St.,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554 
 DA  03-  1030  March  31,  2003 
 AT&  T  CIRCUITS  TO  THE  PHILIPPINES  REACTIVED  BY  DIGITAL  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  PHILIPPINES,  INC.  AND  BAYAN  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  COMPANY: 
 SUSPENSION  LIFTED  ON  U.  S.  CARRIER  PAYMENTS  TO  THESE  CARRIERS 
 IB  Docket  No.  03-  38 


 On  March  10,  2003,  the  International  Bureau  (Bureau)  of  the  FCC  adopted  and  released  an  Order,  DA  03-  581,  finding  that  six  Philippine  carriers  have  engaged  in  the  anticompetitive  “whipsawing”  of  U.  S.  carriers 
 on  the  U.  S.  Philippines  route,  in  violation  of  the  Commission’s  International  Settlements  Policy  (ISP).  The  Bureau  found  that  the  Philippine  carriers  had  disrupted  the  U.  S.-  Philippine  networks  of  either  AT&  T  Corp. 
 (AT&  T)  or  WorldCom,  Inc.  (WorldCom),  or  both,  in  retaliation  for  the  refusal  of  AT&  T  and  WorldCom  to  agree  to  the  Philippine  carriers’  demand  for  rate  increases  for  termination  services  on  their  networks  in  the 
 Philippines. 
 In  light  of  this  finding,  the  Bureau  ordered  U.  S.  carriers  to  suspend  payments  to  the  six  Philippine  carriers  pending  restoration  of  the  U.  S.-  Philippine  circuits  of  AT&  T.  As  required  by  paragraph  31  of  the  Order, 
 AT&  T  reported  on  March  25,  2003  that  Bayan  Telecommunications  Company  (Bayantel)  and  Digital  Telecommunications  Philippines,  Inc.  (Digitel)  have  ceased  blocking  AT&  T’s  traffic  into  the  Philippines.  In 
 addition,  WorldCom  reported  on  March  25,  2003  that  its  traffic  to  Digitel  and  Bayantel  is  completing  and  reported  that  Digitel  and  Bayantel  have  never  blocked  WorldCom’s  circuits. 


 As  a  result  of  the  full  restoration  of  these  AT&  T  circuits,  by  this  Notice,  we  lift  the  suspension  of  payments  required  in  the  Order  with  respect  to  U.  S.  carrier  payments  to  Digitel  and  Bayantel.  Therefore,  all 
 U.  S.  carriers  must  now  resume  making  payments  for  termination  services  to  Digitel  and  Bayantel.  U.  S.  carriers  must  comply  with  the  other  provisions  of  the  Order  with  respect  to  Digitel  and  Bayantel,  including  negotiating 
 arrangements  with  Digitel  and  Bayantel  that  comply  with  the  Commission’s  ISP  retroactive  to  February  1,  2003. 
1
 2 
 Copies  of  this  Notice,  status  reports,  Order,  and  pleadings  are  available  electronically  on  the  Commission’s  web  site  at  www.  fcc.  gov. 
 For  additional  information,  please  contact  James  Ball,  Policy  Division,  International  Bureau,  (202)  418-  1460. 
2