VoiceStream and Western Wireless encouraged FCC to adopt declarat...

Sprint and BellSouth, stemming from Sprint petition for rulemaking in May (CD Aug 13 p6). Sprint disagreement with BellSouth centers around routing of traffic to central office code, known as NXX code, obtained by Sprint to serve subscribers around Jacksonville. Disagreement has to do with routing and rating points for that traffic that were geographically separate. BellSouth said it has agreed to interconnect such traffic but doesn’t believe arrangement is proper because it involves billing and compensation and falls under purview of state PUCs. In joint comments, VoiceStream and Western Wireless called on FCC to rule that: (1) All carriers load NPA (Number Plan Area)-NXX codes assigned by N. American Numbering Plan Administration to wireless providers or other carriers into their switches “within the timeframe established by industry guidelines.” (2) Wireless carriers have right to interconnect at “technically feasible points of their own choosing” on ILEC networks. VoiceStream and Western argued that ILECs don’t have right to insist that dedicated transport links be established to other locations or to rate centers assigned to neighboring ILEC’s NXX codes. (3) Interconnection may be direct or indirect. (4) ILECs must honor rating and routing points assigned by neighboring ILECs to their NXXs. “Rating and routing points need not be, and in most cases cannot be at the same location,” carriers said. (5) Carriers that originate commercial mobile radio service local calls must pay for facilities used to transport those calls to terminating carrier and must reimburse them for termination costs. In separate comments, Nextel told FCC that it alone sets “rules of the road” in such cases and that state PUCs shouldn’t be allowed to set different CMRS interconnection policies. Nextel also urged FCC to reject “any gamesmanship that attempts to alter the plain and straightforward FCC policy” that CMRS traffic that originates and terminates in same major trading area (MTA) is local traffic for reciprocal compensation purposes, regardless of location in MTA where call to CMRS customer begins and ends.