PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., SW Washington, DC 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 07-738 Released: February 16, 2007 COMMENT SOUGHT ON AMENDMENTS TO THE MISSOULA PLAN INTERCARRIER COMPENSATION PROPOSAL TO INCORPORATE A FEDERAL BENCHMARK MECHANISM CC Docket No. 01-92 COMMENTS DUE: March 19, 2007 REPLY COMMENTS DUE: April 3, 2007 By this Public Notice, we seek comment on amendments to the Missoula Plan that incorporate a proposal addressing issues faced by “early adopter” states, i.e. states that have already taken steps to substantially reduce intrastate access rates.1 The proposed amendments, referred to as the Federal Benchmark Mechanism (FBM), were described in an ex parte letter filed January 30, 2007,2 and corrected 1 The Missoula Plan for intercarrier compensation reform was filed July 24, 2006 by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Task Force on Intercarrier Compensation (NARUC Task Force). See Letter from Tony Clark, Commissioner and Chair, NARUC Committee on Telecommunications, Ray Baum, Commissioner and Chair, NARUC Task Force, and Larry Landis, Commissioner and Vice-Chair, NARUC Task Force, CC Docket No. 01-92, at 2 (filed July 24, 2006) (attaching the Missoula Plan) (Missoula Plan July 24 Ex Parte Letter). On July 25, 2006, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) released a Public Notice establishing a pleading cycle for comments on the Missoula Plan. See Comment Sought on Missoula Intercarrier Compensation Reform Plan, Public Notice, CC Docket No. 01-92, 21 FCC Rcd 8524 (WCB 2006). See 71 FR 45510. In response to a NARUC request for additional time, the pleading cycle on the Missoula Plan was extended so that comments were due October 25, 2006 and reply comments were due December 11, 2006. See Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime, Order, CC Docket No. 01-92, 21 FCC Rcd 9772 (WCB Aug. 29, 2006). See 71 FR 54008. The reply comment due date was further extended to February 1, 2007 in response to another request from NARUC. See Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime, Order, CC Docket No. 01-92, DA 06- 2577 (WCB Dec. 22, 2006). See 72 FR 2249. Supporters of the Missoula plan include AT&T, BellSouth Corp., Cingular Wireless, Global Crossing, Level 3 Communications, Embarq, Windstream, and 336 members of the Rural Alliance, among others (Supporters of the Missoula Plan). See Missoula Plan July 24 Ex Parte Letter. See also id., Attach. (providing a complete list of supporters). 2 This ex parte letter was filed by the Chairman of the Wyoming Public Service Commission, staff members from four other state commissions, and the Missoula Plan Supporters. See Letter from Peter Bluhm, Esq., Vermont Public Service Board; Christopher Campbell, Telecommunications Director, Vermont Department of Public Service; Steve Furtney, Chairman, Wyoming Public Service Commission; Angela DuVall Melton, Esq., Nebraska Public Service Commission; Joel Shifman, Esq., Maine Public Utilities Commission; Joseph Sutherland, Executive Director, Indiana State Regulatory Commission; and the Supporters of the Missoula Plan to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, CC Docket No. 01-92 (filed January 30, 2007). 2 by another filing on February 5, 2007.3 The signatories to this ex parte letter assert that the proposed amendments to the Missoula Plan are a significant step in the direction of a more fair and balanced approach to addressing a critical problem the original Missoula Plan filing failed to address.4 Interested parties may file comments on or before March 19, 2007, and reply comments on or before April 3, 2007. Comments may be filed using: (1) the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies.5 § Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow the instructions provided on the website for submitting comments. § For ECFS filers, if multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this proceeding, filers must transmit one electronic copy of the comments for each docket or rulemaking number referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, filers should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and include the following words in the body of the message, “get form.” A sample form and directions will be sent in response. § Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although we continue to experience delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service mail). All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. § The Commission’s contractor will receive hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Suite 110, Washington, D.C. 20002. The filing hours at this location are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. § Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. 3 In their February 5, 2007, filing, the supporters of the Missoula Plan corrected two errors in the attachment to the January 30th filing. See Letter from the Supporters of the Missoula Plan to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, CC Docket No. 01-92 (filed February 5, 2007) (Missoula Plan Corrected Jan. 30 Ex Parte Letter). 4 See Missoula Plan Corrected Jan. 30 Ex Parte Letter at 1. 5 See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, GC Docket No. 97-113, Report and Order, 13 FCC Rcd 11322 (1998). 3 § U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (tty). All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. Parties should also send a copy of their filings to Randy Clarke, Pricing Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, Room 5-A360, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554, or by e-mail to Randy.Clarke@fcc.gov. Parties shall also serve one copy with the Commission’s copy contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. (BCPI), Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW, Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, (202) 488-5300, or via e-mail to fcc@bcpiweb.com. Documents in CC Docket No. 01-92 are available for public inspection and copying during business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th St. SW, Room CY-A257, Washington, D.C. 20554. The documents may also be purchased from BCPI, telephone (202) 488-5300, facsimile (202) 488-5563, TTY (202) 488-5562, e-mail fcc@bcpiweb.com. These documents may also be viewed on the Commission’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs. For further information, contact Randy Clarke of the Pricing Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau at (202) 418-1587 or Victoria Goldberg of the Pricing Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau at (202) 418-7353. -FCC-