FCC guidelines applauded: The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA, Arlington, VA), has

FCC guidelines applauded: The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA, Arlington, VA), has praised the Order issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC, Washington, DC) in its CC Docket 96-98. This Order establishes guidelines that will enable implementation of local competition provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The TIA, which represents 600 U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of communications equipment, believes that this Order offers new entrants the ability to begin providing facilities-based competition by combining their facilities with network elements purchased from incumbent local-exchange carriers.

"By breaking the network into seven discrete pieces, the Order enables new entrants to build their network one piece at a time, resulting in a less-expensive market entry, as well as a demand for new equipment," says Matthew J. Flanigan, TIA`s president. "The Order takes significant steps to deliver the competition that the [Telecommunications] Act promises."