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Telecommunications
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Application Requirements for Requesting Certification
to Provide Competitive Local Exchange Services
(Based on administrative requirements beginning
with a Commission order dated July 20, 1995.)
A telecommunications provider seeking to provide local exchange
services (other than as a reseller) shall file a petition with the
Commission to obtain certification as an Alternative Telecommunications
Utility - Other. Please file application and all supporting documents
via the Public Service Commission's (PSC) Electronic Regulatory
Filing (ERF) system located at http://psc.wi.gov/apps/erf_public/default.aspx.
There is NO FILING FEE, although applicant will be subject
to assessment for Commission expenses pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 196.85.
Applications are normally processed within 90 days from receipt
of a completed application and average 45 days to process. Please
do not submit financial statements, resumes, or tariffs with your
application. The petition must contain the following information:
| (a.) |
The name and address of the telecommunications
provider (including any trade or "doing business as"
names), with the name, title, and telephone and facsimile numbers
of a responsible contact officer.
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| (b.) |
The name, title, and telephone and facsimile number
of the person responsible for submitting the Annual Report.
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| (c.) |
The names and corporate relationships of all companies
which are in a holding company system with petitioner.
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| (d.) |
A description of the types of service to be offered
and the classes of customers to be served.
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| (e.) |
The geographic market and originating exchanges
to be served.
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| (f.) |
The identity of all underlying carriers from which
service is to be obtained.
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| (g.) |
The location and description of switching facilities.
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| (h.) |
A description of any affiliated interest contracts
or arrangements as defined in § 196.52, Stats., specifically
pertaining to contracts or arrangements with Wisconsin Incumbent
Local Exchange Carriers.
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| (i.) |
A description of the quality of service to be
offered to all customers, including plans for assurance of 911
service.
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| (j.) |
A copy and description of all certifications
that applicant has previously received from the Commission.
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| (k.) |
If applicable, a copy of the certificate from
the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) (see
note below) authorizing the petitioner to transact business
in Wisconsin as a corporation. Do not submit your application
to DFI or any non Wisconsin incorporation documents. If applicable,
submit your Wisconsin corporation documents. If you are not
registered with that office, call (608) 261-7577 for information
or write to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions,
Attention Division of Corporate and Consumer Services, PO Box
7846, Madison WI, 53707 7846. You may also contact them through
their website at http://www.wdfi.org/corporations/forms/default.htm.
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| (l.) |
A notorized affidavit signed by a corporate officer
authorized to bind petitioner which verifies that all information
provided in the petition is true and correct, to the best of
the officer's knowledge or belief.
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| (m.) |
Any other information required by the Commission.
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To avoid multiple proceedings, Commission authorizations typically
are framed to include private line services statewide and ALL territories
open for facilities based competition even if not specifically mentioned
by the applicant. Requesting a territory does not obligate the applicant
to serve that territory. There are certain territories open for
routine certification for facilities based service (listed below).
All other territories in Wisconsin are serviced by Incumbent Local
Exchange Carriers (ILECs) with 150,000 or less access lines and
each, therefore, must be requested separately. Suggested language
for a routine request for open territories is as follows: "alternative
telecommunications utility, per s. 196.01(1d)(f), Stats. authorized
to provide statewide intrastate interLATA and intraLATA toll telecommunications
services, resale of services authorized for resale, facilities-based
switched local exchange service to residential and business customers
in all territories open by virtue of their Alternative Regulatory
Plan (ARP) including 3 companies owned by Frontier Corporation,
8 by CenturyTel, and 13 by TDS Telecom, Inc., and Mount Horeb Telephone
Company; also open for competition are Wisconsin Bell, Inc., d/b/a
AT&T Wisconsin, Verizon North, Inc.1,
CenturyTel of the Midwest-Kendall, LLC, CenturyTel of Central Wisconsin,
LLC, and Telephone USA of Wisconsin, LLC 2,
local service exchange areas and private line services statewide."
There is a separate application process
to become a reseller, which is considered to NOT be facilities
based. Facilities in Wisconsin are defined as transmission facilities
(generally, owned or leased microwave, fiber or copper). A reseller
cannot exceed a value (ownership or capitol lease) of $400,000 of
transmission facilities without upgrading their certification to
that of a CLEC. A reseller in Wisconsin is subject to the provisions
of Wis. Adm. Code ch. PSC 168 which, among others, contains no limitation
on ownership of Central Office Equipment and, generally, provides
a lesser level of regulation than for CLEC's.
1. On July 7, 2000 the Commission received notification of name change from GTE North Incorporated to Verizon North, Inc. (Verizon).
2. In 1998, Ameritech, AT&T Wisconsin, sold 19 exchanges to CenturyTel
of the Midwest-Kendall, LLC (Kendall). The sale became effective December
1, 1998. On September 30, 2000, in dockets 2055-NC-100 and 5846-NC-100,
77 Verizon exchanges were sold to CenturyTel of Central Wisconsin,
LLC (CCW) and Telephone USA of Wisconsin, LLC (Tel USA). CenturyTel
Service Group, Inc. (Century) has consented under Wis. Stat. § 196.50(1)(b)2.b.
to all requests to serve in the exchanges of CCW, Tel USA, and Kendall
but is not abandoning its role of "designated provider of last resort"
under Wis. Stat. § 196.50(1)(b). Century also waived the right to
assert rural telephone company status under 47 U.S.C. § 251(f)(1)
in those dockets, as created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
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