20000905Order No 28501 - Clarifying Order No 28340.doc

BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE JOINT APPLICATION OF CENTURYTEL OF IDAHO, INC. AND CENTURYTEL OF THE GEM STATE, INC. TO REDUCE ACCESS RATES AND REBALANCE OTHER RATES FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE.
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CASE NOS. CEN-T-99-3
CGS-T-99-4

ORDER CLARIFYING ORDER NO. 28340

ORDER NO. 28501

On August 8, 2000, Qwest Corporation, formerly U S WEST Communications, filed a Motion for Clarification of Order No. 28340 issued in the above referenced cases. Final Order No. 28340 was issued on April 12, 2000, and among other things, approved EAS for Century Tel Gem State’s Richfield customers. The Order requires Century Tel Gem State to “implement EAS for its Richfield customers to the Magic Valley EAS region, and implement EAS for its Grandview, Bruneau and Grasmere/Riddle customers to the Treasure Valley EAS region (excluding Payette, Weiser and New Plymouth).” Order No. 28340 pp. 17-18. Qwest filed its Motion for Clarification because it “is uncertain whether it is expected to undertake the implementation work that would be necessary to allow Qwest customers in the Magic Valley and Treasure Valley EAS regions to have two-way EAS with the CT Gem State exchanges addressed in the Order.” Qwest Motion to Clarify p. 2.
Qwest’s Motion identifies four issues for clarification. The first asks the Commission to clarify whether it intended the EAS it approved in Order No. 28340 to be two-way, i.e., whether the Commission intended for Qwest customers to have toll-free calling to the CT Gem State exchanges. Second, Qwest asks, if the Commission did intend to grant two-way EAS, to further clarify whether Qwest EAS costs and capital expenditures are to be recovered in the previously approved by the Commission for Qwest’s EAS costs. Third, because the implementation for the CT Gem State EAS is October 12, 2000, and Qwest has not begun the process to implement EAS, Qwest requests 21 days from the date of the clarifying Order to report to the Commission regarding the time it will require to implement EAS. Finally, Qwest’s motion points out that the need for clarification impacts CT Gem State because if two-way EAS is implemented, CT Gem State will lose the access charges paid by carriers to terminate calls originating in the Qwest EAS regions
Although Order No. 28340 does not specifically state that the approved EAS is two-way, the Commission intended when the order was issued to approve EAS for both CT Gem State’s customers and Qwest’s customers. The Commission evaluated the calling data and community-of-interest issues as existed between the affected CT Gem State and Qwest exchanges, and did not isolate the CT Gem State’s exchanges data to evaluate their relationship with the Qwest exchanges. Qwest was a party in the case and thus had every reason to know the Commission always considered the approved EAS to be for the benefit of Qwest’s customers as well as CT Gem State’s.
The Commission thus clarifies for Qwest that the EAS approved in Order No. 28340 is two-way. Qwest should coordinate its efforts with CT Gem State to implement (1) EAS for its Magic Valley exchange customers to CT Gem State’s Richfield exchange, and (2) EAS for its customers in the Treasure Valley EAS region (excluding Payette, Weiser and New Plymouth) to CT Gem State’s Grandview, Bruneau and Grasmere/Riddle exchanges. Customers have been anticipating the implementation of these EAS routes since the Commission issued its Order on April 12, 2000. Six months is long enough for them to wait. We expect EAS to begin on October 15, 2000. Qwest should do whatever is required so that the scheduled effective date, October 15, 2000, is not disrupted. The fact that Qwest waited four months to ask for this clarification should not delay EAS implementation.
The Commission also approves the EAS implementation cost-recovery methodology in this case that was previously approved by the Commission for Qwest. That cost-recovery methodology is set forth in Order No. 27633, issued July 17, 1999 in Case No. USW-T-98-3.
O R D E R
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Qwest’s Motion for Clarification of Order No. 28340 is granted. Qwest shall implement EAS for its Magic Valley customers to CT Gem State’s Richfield exchanges and for its Treasure Valley exchanges (excluding Payette, Weiser and New Plymouth) to CT Gem State’s Grandview, Bruneau and Grasmere/Riddle exchanges.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Qwest may recover its EAS implementation costs as established by the Commission in Order No. 27633.

DONE by Order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission at Boise, Idaho this
day of September 2000.

DENNIS S. HANSEN, PRESIDENT

MARSHA H. SMITH, COMMISSIONER

PAUL KJELLANDER, COMMISSIONER

ATTEST:

Myrna J. Walters
Commission Secretary

Vld/O:CEN-T-99-03_CGS-T-99-04_ws

ORDER CLARIFYING ORDER NO. 28340
ORDER NO. 28501 1

Office of the Secretary
Service Date
September 5, 2000