The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today adopted rules concerning incumbent local exchange carriers' obligations to make elements of their networks available on an unbundled basis to new entrants. The new framework provides incentives for carriers to invest in broadband network facilities, brings the benefits of competitive alternatives to all consumers, and provides for a significant state role in implementing these rules.
Today's action resolves various local phone competition and broadband competition issues and addresses a May 2002 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which overturned the Commission's previous Unbundled Network Elements (UNE) rules. Following is a brief summary of the key issues resolved in today's decision (a more detailed summary of today's action is attached):
1. Impairment Standard--A requesting carrier is impaired when lack of access to an incumbent LEC network element poses a barrier or barriers to entry, including operational and economic barriers, which are likely to make entry into a market uneconomic. Such barriers include scale economies, sunk costs, first-mover advantages, and barriers within the control of the incumbent LEC. The Commission's unbundling analysis specifically considers market-specific variations, including considerations of customer class, geography, and service.
2. Broadband Issues--The Commission provides substantial unbundling relief for loops utilizing fiber facilities: 1) the Commission requires no unbundling of fiber-to-the-home loops; 2) the Commission elects not to unbundle bandwidth for the provision of broadband services for loops where ILECs deploy fiber further into the neighborhood but short of the customer's home (hybrid loops), although requesting carriers that provide broadband services today over high capacity facilities will continue to get that same access even after this relief is granted, and 3) the Commission will no longer require that line-sharing be available as an unbundled element. The Commission also provides clarification on its UNE pricing rules that will send appropriate economic signals to carriers.
3. Unbundled Network Element Platform (UNE-P) Issue--The Commission finds that switching--a key UNE-P element--for business customers served by high-capacity loops such as DS-1 will no longer be unbundled based on a presumptive finding of no impairment. Under this framework, states will have 90 days to rebut the national finding. For mass-market customers, the Commission sets out specific criteria that states shall apply to determine, on a granular basis, whether economic and operational impairment exists in a particular market. State Commissions must complete such proceedings within nine months. Upon a state finding of no impairment, the Commission sets forth a three-year period for carriers to transition off of UNE-P.
4. Role of States--The states have a substantial role in applying the Commission's impairment standard according to specific guidelines tailored to individual elements.
5. Dedicated transport--The Commission finds that requesting carriers are not impaired without Optical Carrier (or OCn) level transport circuits. However, the Commission finds that requesting carriers are impaired without access to dark fiber, DS3, and DS1 capacity transport, each independently subject to a route-specific review by states to identify available wholesale facilities. Dark fiber and DS3 transport also each are subject to a route-specific review by the states to identify where competing carriers are able to provide their own facilities.
With today's action, the Commission also opened a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) seeking comment on whether the Commission should modify the so-called pick-and-choose rule that permits requesting carriers to opt into individual portions of interconnection agreements without accepting all the terms and conditions of such agreements.
Action by the Commission February 20, 2003, by Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 03-36). Chairman Powell approving in part and dissenting in part, Commissioner Abernathy approving in part and dissenting in part, Commissioner Copps concurring in part and dissenting in part, Commissioner Martin approving, and Commissioner Adelstein concurring in part and dissenting in part.
For more information, visit the Federal Communications Commission's Web site at www.fcc.gov.