19990902Notice of Petition for Arbitration.doc

BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF GST TELECOM IDAHO, INC.’S PETITION FOR ARBITRATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 252(b) OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 OF THE RATES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS OF INTERCONNECTION WITH U S WEST.
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CASE NO. GST-T-99-1

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR
ARBITRATION

To: U S WEST Communications Inc.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that GST Telecom Idaho, Inc. on August 26, 1999 filed a Petition for Arbitration with the Commission pursuant to Section 252 (b) of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Petition alleges that GST requested interconnection, services, or network elements with U S WEST pursuant to Section 251 of the Act, that negotiations for an agreement have occurred, but that issues between the parties remain unresolved.
The Petition and Section 252 establish the following dates for an arbitration process:
Date negotiation request filed with U S WEST March 19, 1999
Date arbitration petition filed August 26, 1999
Date for U S WESTs response to petition September 20, 1999
Deadline for resolution by arbitration December 19, 1999
To ensure timely resolution of the Petition, the Commission may schedule a pre-arbitration conference. During the pre-arbitration conference, the parties must be prepared to identify specific issues that have been resolved and that remain unresolved, to discuss the need and schedule for exchanging information, and to determine a schedule for providing information and prefiled testimony for the arbitration.
The Petition identifies numerous issues necessary to provide comprehensive terms for interconnection by GST with U S WESTs networks, resale of U S WESTs services, unbundling of U S WESTs network, and electronic interfaces for customer services.

The three-member Commission may serve as an arbitration panel, or the Commission may appoint a neutral third party to arbitrate any or all issues in dispute, with all costs to be paid by the parties. Following resolution of the disputed issues by arbitration, the Commission will have 30 days to approve the entire agreement of the parties pursuant to Section 252(e) of the Act.
The arbitrator will limit its consideration of the Petition to the issues set forth in the Petition and in the response, if any, of U S WEST. The arbitrator may require the parties to provide information as may be necessary to reach a decision on the unresolved issues. If any party refuses or fails unreasonably to respond on a timely basis to any reasonable request for information, then the arbitrator may proceed on the basis of the best information available to it from whatever source derived.
The Commission encourages the parties to continue their discussion to resolve these remaining issues. If the parties reach an agreement, it must be submitted to the Commission for approval pursuant to Section 252(e).
DATED at Boise, Idaho this day of August 1999.

Myrna J. Walters
Commission Secretary

bls/N:gstt991_ws

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR ARBITRATION -1-

Office of the Secretary
Service Date
September 2, 1999