29114.doc

BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF QWEST CORPORATION’S REQUEST TO DISCONTINUE PROVIDING TIME-OF-DAY ANNOUNCEMENTS IN IDAHO. )
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CASE NO. QWE-T-02-16

ORDER NO. 29114

On August 26, 2002, Qwest Corporation requested that the Commission authorize the Company to discontinue providing “time-of-day” service in Idaho. Pursuant to prior Commission Orders, Qwest and its predecessors allowed customers to dial a toll-free telephone number to receive a time-of-day announcement. After reviewing the Company’s request, we grant its request to discontinue the service.
BACKGROUND
In Order Nos. 21542 and 21687 issued in October 1987 and January 1988, respectively, the Commission directed Qwest’s predecessor, the Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Company (Mountain Bell), to provide time-of-day announcement services to customers without charge. In these Orders, the Commission noted that Idaho customers had historically been able to receive the time-of-day as part of their basic local service. The Commission noted that this service furnishes “a convenience to local exchange customers by providing information that may not be available from any other costless source.” Order No. 21687.
THE COMPANY’S REQUEST
After Qwest upgraded its Lewiston central switching office to incorporate digital technology, the Company discovered that the peripheral equipment that actually provides the time-of-day announcements had been “inoperable for some number of months.” Qwest Request at 1. This equipment provides the time-of-day announcements for all eight of Qwest’s exchanges located between Grangeville and Lewiston. Although the equipment had been inoperable for several months, the Company states that it did not receive any complaints from customers about the lack of service. Id.
Before replacing the broken equipment, Qwest decided to ask the Commission to discontinue this service. Qwest maintains that it has been unable to locate time-of-day announcement equipment that meets Network Equipment Building Standards (NEBS) set by the telecommunications industry. “The hardware necessary to provide time-of-day service is so rarely installed in RBOC switches there is, to Qwest’s knowledge, no [NEBS] certified hardware available in the market. Today, any collocated equipment to be placed in a Qwest central office … must be NEBS certified.” Qwest Request at 2. Moreover, Qwest stated that it was unaware of any other Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) that continues to supply time-of-day service to their customers. Id.
Finally, Qwest asserts that there are many alternative means of getting “the time” including watches, cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants, laptops, computer monitors, telephone LCD displays, directory assistance, etc. The Company further noted that lack of complaints over the inactivation of the service in northern Idaho “leads one to question whether consumer demand justifies the considerable expense to provision and maintain this service going forward.” Id. The Company insists that the Commission does not require any competitive local exchange company (CLEC) to provide such service. Moreover, the Company states it is unaware whether any Idaho CLEC or other incumbent local exchange carrier provides this service in Idaho. Consequently, the Company requests that the Commission allow Qwest to discontinue providing time-of-day service in Idaho.
DISCUSSION
Based upon the Commission’s review of the Company’s request, we find it is reasonable to grant Qwest’s request to discontinue providing time-of-day service in Idaho. The Commission finds it appropriate to discontinue this service based on the lack of any complaint during the months that the service was inoperable in northern Idaho. We are also persuaded that the Company’s request should be granted because announcement equipment lacks NEBS certification and the ubiquitous availability of other means for obtaining the time of day. Finally, we find that discontinuing the time-of-day service will free up another NXX telephone prefix, i.e., 844.
O R D E R
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Qwest Corporation’s request to discontinue time-of-day service in Idaho is granted. The Company shall be relieved of its time-of-day obligations set out in Order Nos. 21542, 21687 and 21782.
THIS IS A FINAL ORDER. Any person interested in this Order (or in issues finally decided by this Order) may petition for reconsideration within twenty-one (21) days of the service date of this Order with regard to any matter decided in this Order in Case No. QWET0216. Within seven (7) days after any person has petitioned for reconsideration, any other person may cross-petition for reconsideration. See Idaho Code § 61-626.
DONE by Order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission at Boise, Idaho this
day of September 2002.

PAUL KJELLANDER, PRESIDENT

MARSHA H. SMITH, COMMISSIONER

DENNIS S. HANSEN, COMMISSIONER

ATTEST:

Jean D. Jewell
Commission Secretary

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ORDER NO. 29114 1

Office of the Secretary
Service Date
September 16, 2002