[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 186 (Monday, September 27, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51910-51911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25013]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 51

[CC Docket No. 96-98; FCC 99-227]


Implementation of the Local Competition Provisions of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; reconsideration and clarification.

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SUMMARY: This document resolves and clarifies specific issues regarding 
the nondiscriminatory access obligations of local exchange carriers 
(LECs). The intended effect is to further Congress' goal of preventing 
unfair local exchange carrier practices and encouraging the development 
of competition in directory assistance.

DATES: Effective October 27, 1999, except for Sec. 51.217(c)(3) which 
contains information collection requirements that are contingent on 
approval by the Office of Management and Budget. The Commission will 
publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective 
date.

ADDRESSES: 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Cooke, Senior Attorney, Common 
Carrier Bureau, Network Services Division, (202) 418-2351 or via the 
Internet at [email protected]. Further information may also be obtained by 
calling the Common Carrier Bureau's TTY number: 202-418-0484. For 
additional information concerning the information collections contained 
in this Order contact Judy Boley at (202) 418-0214, or via the Internet 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This summarizes the Commission's Second 
Order on Reconsideration adopted August 23, 1999, and released 
September 9, 1999. The Second Order on Reconsideration clarifies rules 
adopted in the Local Competition Second Report and Order and resolves 
issues relating to nondiscriminatory access. The full text of this 
Second Order on Reconsideration is available for inspection and copying 
during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Center, 445 12th 
Street, S.W., Room CY-A257, Washington, D.C. The complete text also may 
be obtained through the World Wide Web, at http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/
Common Carrier/Orders/fcc99227.wp, or may be purchased from the 
Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription Service, 
Inc., (202) 857-3800, 1231 20th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. This 
Order contains information collections subject to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). It has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review under the PRA. The general 
public and other federal agencies are invited to comment on the 
information collections contained in this proceeding.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This Order contains modified information collections. The 
Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork 
burdens, invites the general public to comment on the information 
collections contained in this Order, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-12. Persons wishing to comment on 
the information collections should submit comments on or before October 
27, 1999. Comments should address: (a) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Commission, including whether the information has practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) 
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on the respondents including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    OMB Approval Number: 3060-0741.
    Title: Implementation of the Local Competition Provisions of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996--CC Docket No. 96-98.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Type of Review: Revised collection

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                                                    Number of
             Information collection                respondents      Estimated time per response     Total annual
                                                    (approx.)                                          burden
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Sharing of Directory Listings...................           500  36 hours (per respondent per year)        18,000
Notification Regarding Format...................            50  1 hour (per respondent per year)..            50
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    Total Annual Burden: 18,050 hours.
    Respondents: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Estimated costs per respondent: $0.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission, in compliance with section 
251(b)(3) of the 1996 Act, clarifies and affirms rules in this Order to 
further Congress' goals of preventing unfair LEC practices in relation 
to nondiscriminatory access to telephone numbers, operator services, 
directory assistance, and directory listings. Our clarification and 
particularization of the obligations imposed on carriers by section 
251(b)(3) is necessary to achieve Congress' goals in relation to 
nondiscriminatory access. This approach should reduce confusion and 
potential controversy with minimal burdens on carriers and new 
entrants, many of whom are small businesses.

Synopsis

    The Commission promulgated rules pursuant to section 251(b)(3) of 
the Act in the Local Competition Second Report and Order. In the Second 
Order on Reconsideration, first, the Commission affirms its 
requirements that LECs offer access to telephone numbers, operator 
services, directory assistance, and directory listings that is equal to 
the access that the LEC provides to itself and that the providing LEC 
shall continue to bear the burden of proof that it is offering 
nondiscriminatory access. Second, the Commission affirms its 
requirement that each LEC provide access to adjunct features related to 
the provision of operator services and directory assistance services, 
and precludes LECs from negotiating exclusive contracts with third 
party vendors of such adjunct features that would prevent competing 
providers from negotiating licensing agreements with the vendors for 
access to their services. Third, the Commission declines to change its 
branding requirements concerning LECs' obligations to rebrand the 
traffic of

[[Page 51911]]

interconnecting carriers and resellers, and, further, reaffirms that 
the benefits of this obligation are to be extended to all ``competing 
providers of telephone exchange service and telephone toll service,'' 
including resellers. The Commission concludes that any failure to 
rebrand the competitor's traffic is presumptively discriminatory and 
that the burden will be on the providing LEC to demonstrate that it is 
technically infeasible for it to arrange its network architecture to 
allow it to brand competitor's traffic. Fourth, the Commission 
clarifies that, upon request, a LEC shall provide access to its 
directory assistance services, including directory assistance 
databases, and to its directory listings in any format the competing 
provider specifies, if the LEC's internal systems can accommodate that 
format. In addition, LECs must supply updates to the requesting LEC in 
the same manner as the original transfer and at the same time that it 
provides updates to itself. Finally, the Commission deletes as 
redundant its definition of ``directory listings,'' and concludes that 
names and addresses of subscribers with unlisted information must be 
shared among LECs.

Regulatory Flexibility Certification

    As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Order contains a 
Supplemental Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis which is set forth 
in an Appendix to the Order. A brief description of the analysis 
follows. Pursuant to section 604 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the 
Commission performed a comprehensive analysis of the Order with regard 
to small entities. This analysis includes: (1) A succinct statement of 
the need for, and objectives of, the Commission's decisions in the 
Order; (2) a summary of the significant issues raised by the public 
comments in response to the initial regulatory flexibility analysis, a 
summary of the Commission's assessment of these issues, and a statement 
of any changes made in the Order as a result of the comments; (3) a 
description of and an estimate of the number of small entities to which 
the Order will apply; (4) a description of the projected reporting, 
recordkeeping and other compliance requirements of the Order, including 
an estimate of the classes of small entities which will be subject to 
the requirement and the type of professional skills necessary for 
compliance with the requirement; (5) a description of the steps the 
Commission has taken to minimize the significant economic impact on 
small entities consistent with the stated objectives of applicable 
statutes, including a statement of the factual, policy, and legal 
reasons for selecting the alternative adopted in the Order and why each 
one of the other significant alternatives to each of the Commission's 
decisions which affect small entities was rejected.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 51

    Local exchange carriers, Nondiscriminatory access, 
Telecommunications.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.

Rule Changes

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal 
Communications Commission amends Part 51 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations to read as follows:

PART 51--INTERCONNECTION

    1. The authority citation for Part 51 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: Sections 1-5, 7, 201-05, 207-09, 218, 225-27, 251-54, 
271, 332, 48 Stat. 1070, as amended, 1077; 47 U.S.C. 151-155, 154, 
157, 201-05, 207-09, 218, 225-27, 251-54, 271, 332, unless otherwise 
noted.

    2. Revise Sec. 51.217(c)(3) to read as follows:


Sec. 51.217  Nondiscriminatory access: telephone numbers, operator 
services, directory assistance services, and directory listings.

* * * * *
    (c) * * *
    (3) Directory assistance services and directory listings--(i) 
Access to directory assistance. A LEC shall permit competing providers 
to have access to its directory assistance services, including 
directory assistance databases, so that any customer of a competing 
provider can obtain directory listings, except as provided in paragraph 
(c)(3)(iv) of this section, on a nondiscriminatory basis, 
notwithstanding the identity of the customer's local service provider, 
or the identity of the provider for the customer whose listing is 
requested. A LEC must supply access to directory assistance in the 
manner specified by the competing provider, including transfer of the 
LECs' directory assistance databases in readily accessible magnetic 
tape, electronic or other convenient format, as provided in paragraph 
(c)(3)(iii) of this section. Updates to the directory assistance 
database shall be made in the same format as the initial transfer 
(unless the requesting LEC requests otherwise), and shall be performed 
in a timely manner, taking no longer than those made to the providing 
LEC's own database. A LEC shall accept the listings of those customers 
served by competing providers for inclusion in its directory 
assistance/operator services databases.
    (ii) Access to directory listings. A LEC that compiles directory 
listings shall share directory listings with competing providers in the 
manner specified by the competing provider, including readily 
accessible tape or electronic formats, as provided in paragraph 
(c)(3)(iii) of this section. Such data shall be provided in a timely 
fashion.
    (iii) Format. A LEC shall provide access to its directory 
assistance services, including directory assistance databases, and to 
its directory listings in any format the competing provider specifies, 
if the LEC's internal systems can accommodate that format.
    (A) If a LEC's internal systems do not permit it provide directory 
assistance or directory listings in the format the specified by the 
competing provider, the LEC shall:
    (1) Within thirty days of receiving the request, inform the 
competing provider that the requested format cannot be accommodated and 
tell the requesting provider which formats can be accommodated; and
    (2) Provide the requested directory assistance or directory 
listings in the format the competing provider chooses from among the 
available formats.
    (B) [Reserved]
    (iv) Unlisted numbers. A LEC shall not provide access to unlisted 
telephone numbers, or other information that its customer has asked the 
LEC not to make available, with the exception of customer name and 
address. The LEC shall ensure that access is permitted to the same 
directory information, including customer name and address, that is 
available to its own directory assistance customers.
    (v) Adjuncts to services. Operator services and directory 
assistance services must be made available to competing providers in 
their entirety, including access to any adjunct features (e.g., rating 
tables or customer information databases) necessary to allow competing 
providers full use of these services.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 99-25013 Filed 9-24-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P