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 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  FCC  04-  180 
 Before  the  FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION 
 Washington,  D.  C.  20554 


 In  the  Matter  of  )  File  No.  EB-  03-  IH-  0245  )  File  No.  EB-  03-  IH-  0550 
 )  )  Acct.  No.  200332080014 
 )  Verizon  Telephone  Companies,  Inc.  )  FRN  No.  0008988438 


 ORDER 
 Adopted:  July  23,  2004  Released:  July  27,  2004 
 By  the  Commission: 
 1.  In  this  Order,  we  adopt  a  Consent  Decree  terminating  investigations  into  possible  violations  by  the  Verizon  telephone  companies  (“  Verizon”)  of  section  272  of  the  Communications  Act  of 
 1934,  as  amended,  47  U.  S.  C.  §  272,  and  sections  32.27  and  53.203  of  the  Commission’s  rules,  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  32.27,  53.203.  The  investigations  concern  Verizon’s  compliance  with  certain  structural,  transactional, 
 and  nondiscrimination  safeguards  applicable  to  transactions  between  Verizon’s  Bell  Operating  Companies  and  its  other  incumbent  local  exchange  carriers,  on  the  one  hand,  and  Verizon’s  separate  in-region, 
 interLATA  affiliates  established  pursuant  to  section  272  of  the  Act,  on  the  other.  1 
 2.  The  Commission  and  Verizon  have  negotiated  the  terms  of  a  Consent  Decree  that  would  terminate  the  Commission’s  investigations.  A  copy  of  the  Consent  Decree  is  attached  hereto  and  is 
 incorporated  by  reference. 
 3.  We  have  reviewed  the  terms  of  the  Consent  Decree  and  evaluated  the  facts  before  us.  We  believe  that  the  public  interest  would  be  served  by  approving  the  Consent  Decree  and  terminating  the 
 investigations. 
 4.  Based  on  the  record  before  us,  and  in  the  absence  of  material  new  evidence  relating  to  this  matter,  we  conclude  that  there  are  no  substantial  and  material  questions  of  fact  as  to  whether  Verizon 
 possesses  the  basic  qualifications,  including  its  character  qualifications,  to  hold  or  obtain  any  FCC  licenses  or  authorizations. 


 5.  Accordingly,  IT  IS  ORDERED,  pursuant  to  sections  4(  i),  220(  d),  and  503(  b)  of  the  Communications  Act  of  1934,  as  amended,  47  U.  S.  C.  §§  154(  i),  220(  d),  503(  b),  that  the  Consent  Decree 
 incorporated  by  reference  in  and  attached  to  this  order,  is  hereby  ADOPTED. 
 6.  IT  IS  FURTHER  ORDERED  that  the  Secretary  SHALL  SIGN  the  Consent  Decree  on  behalf  of  the  Commission. 


 1  See  Verizon  Telephone  Companies,  Inc.,  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  for  Forfeiture,  18  FCC  Rcd  18,796  (2003). 
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 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  FCC  04-  180 
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 7.  IT  IS  FURTHER  ORDERED  that  the  above  captioned  investigations  ARE  TERMINATED  and  the  Notice  of  Apparent  Liability  for  Forfeiture  IS  CANCELLED. 
 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION 
 Marlene  H.  Dortch  Secretary 
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