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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  Contact:  David  Fiske,  202/  418-  0513  September  10,  2002  Mike  Balmoris,  202/  418-  0253 
 STATEMENT  OF  FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  POWELL  ON  WITHDRAWAL  OF  QWEST’S  MULTI-  STATE  271  APPLICATIONS 
 Washington,  DC  –  Qwest  has  withdrawn  its  applications  to  provide  long  distance  service  in  the  following  nine  states:  Colorado,  Idaho,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  North  Dakota, 
 Montana,  Utah,  Washington  and  Wyoming.  The  FCC  cannot  approve  such  applications  by  the  Bell  Companies  unless  they  satisfy  the  requirements  of  sections  271  and  272  of  the 
 Communications  Act. 
 In  my  view,  Qwest’s  applications  were  generally  very  strong.  Ultimately,  the  outstanding  issues  were  very  narrow,  but  nonetheless  important.  Despite  extensive 
 examination  of  the  record  supporting  these  applications,  questions  remain  regarding  whether  Qwest  has  complied  with  the  safeguards  set  forth  by  Congress  in  section  272  of 
 the  Act.  Section  272  governs  how  a  Bell  Company’s  long  distance  separate  affiliate  operates.  In  these  applications,  Qwest  did  much  to  otherwise  demonstrate  that  it  has 
 complied  with  the  market-  opening  provisions  of  the  section  271  competitive  checklist. 
 The  Commission  would  like  to  thank  all  of  the  state  utility  commissions  and  the  Regional  Oversight  Committee  for  their  outstanding  work  and  enormous  contribution  to 
 this  proceeding.  I  am  confident  that  Qwest,  in  consultation  with  the  states,  Department  of  Justice,  and  this  Commission,  will  expeditiously  resolve  the  outstanding  issue  that 
 prevented  approval. 
 -FCC- 
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