GNRT0010.WSb.doc

WELDON B. STUTZMAN
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
PO BOX 83720
BOISE, IDAHO 83720-0074
[phone]
IDAHO BAR NO. 3283

Street Address for Express Mail:
472 W. WASHINGTON
BOISE, IDAHO 83702-5983

Attorney for the Commission Staff

BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF NOW COMMUNICATIONS, INC. FOR A CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY TO PROVIDE LOCAL EXCHANGE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES )
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CASE NO. GNR-T-00-10

COMMENTS OF THE COMMISSION STAFF

COMES NOW the Staff of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, by and through its Attorney of record, Weldon B. Stutzman, Deputy Attorney General, and submits the following Comments in response to Order No. 28404, the Notice of Application and Notice of Modified Procedure, issued June 13, 2000.
The Commission received an Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from NOW Communications, Inc. on March 16, 2000. NOW has applied for approval to resell local service in U S WEST and GTE exchanges in Idaho. The Company has an interconnection agreement with GTE that was approved on
January 12, 2000, and anticipates an agreement with U S WEST in the near future. Upon receiving the necessary approvals, NOW proposes to offer only residential basic local exchange service on a “total service” resale basis pursuant to resale agreements with the incumbent local exchange carriers. In addition to prepaid local service, the Company will provide optional service features, directory listing service and 911 service. NOW will restrict its customers from making toll calls.
NOW was incorporated in Mississippi in February, 1996; the Company maintains its principal business in Jackson, Mississippi. The Company recently purchased
Tel-Link LLC, a CLEC that currently holds a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity in Idaho. It is Staff’s understanding that Tel-Link’s certificate will be cancelled. NOW will absorb Tel-Link assets and provide service in Idaho using the dba of Tel-Link.
The Company has submitted all of the information required by GNR-T-96-4 and Order No. 26665 including an illustrative tariff. Staff and the Company have worked out all problems where compliance with Idaho rules and law must be considered. The local service will be payable in advance and the Company will not require a deposit.

Respectfully submitted this ____ day of July, 2000.

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Weldon B. Stutzman
Deputy Attorney General

WS:BB:va:word:umisc/comments/gnrt0010.WSb
COMMENTS OF THE
COMMISSION STAFF 1 JULY 3, 2000