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 NEWS  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).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACTS  June  14,  2004  David  Fiske:  202-  418-  0513 
 Richard  Diamond:  202-  418-  0506 


 FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  Announces  Plans  for  Local  Telephone  Competition  Rules 


 Federal  Communications  Commission  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  announced  today  that  the  Commission  will  strive  to  adopt  a  final  order  on  local  telephone  competition  rules  as 
 soon  as  possible. 
 “My  fellow  Commissioners  and  I  will  promptly  turn  to  writing  a  set  of  sound  rules  that  ensure  access  to  incumbent  networks  where  competition  is  truly  impaired,”  said  Powell.  “I  am 


 committed  to  developing  competition  rules  that  comply  with  the  court’s  mandate  and  are  faithful  to  the  statutory  objectives  of  the  Telecommunications  Act.  Moreover,  the  Commission  is 
 prepared  to  consider  interim,  transitional  protections  to  bridge  the  gap  that  exists  in  the  period  preceding  adoption  of  our  final  rules.” 


 “Fair  and  sustainable  competition  is  our  goal  and  I  am  fully  confident  that  consumers  will  reap  the  benefits,”  said  Powell.  “Facilities-  based  competition  brings  the  innovation  and  value 
 that  consumers  demand.  These  new  rules  will  also  encourage  increased  investment  in  infrastructure  that  will  continue  to  drive  down  prices  for  advanced  services.  In  this  interim 
 period,  I  also  strongly  encourage  carriers  to  find  common  ground  through  negotiation.  Commercial  agreements  remain  the  best  way  for  all  parties  to  control  their  destiny.” 


 Responding  to  letters  sent  to  him  from  BellSouth,  Qwest,  SBC,  and  Verizon  putting  in  writing  commitments  not  to  raise  rates  for  wholesale  access,  Powell  said:  “The  regional  Bell 
 companies  have  announced  that  they  will  not  unilaterally  increase  rates  and  have  guaranteed  the  status  quo  until  the  end  of  the  year.  Our  top  priority  is  to  ensure  that  consumers  do  not 
 experience  any  disruption  in  service  and  to  provide  sorely  needed  stability  in  the  marketplace.” 
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