20170120Letter to discontinue 1 service.pdf

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Ms. Jean Jewell, Commission Secretary
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
472 West Washington
Boise, ID 83702
REC EIVED
2011 Jf11l 20
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RE: Talk America Services, LLC Notice of Discontinuance of Service
Dear Ms. Jewell:
January 20, 2017
Via Email
This letter is submitted on behalf of Talk America Services, LLC ("Talk America Services" or
"Company") to notify the Commission of the Company's intent to discontinue services to a customer in
Idaho. Talk America was issued Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity No. 519 on May 8,
2015, authorizing it to provide resold local exchange and interexchange services. The Company does not
seek to relinquish its operating authority, but only to discontinue service to a single customer, as
described more fully herein.
Talk America Services intends to discontinue the provision of local exchange, digital subscriber line
("DSL") internet access and intrastate and interstate long distance services to one customer in Idaho on or
about April 1, 2017, pending applicable regulatory approvals. The services are being discontinued
because Talk America Services' wholesale service provider, Windstream, intends to decommission the
telecommunications equipment that is used to serve the affected customer. Talk America Services
operates as a reseller of Windstream's services, and has no ability to provide substitute services to the
impacted customer. Talk America Services is providing the attached notice of the proposed
discontinuance to the affected customer via 1st class U.S. mail on or around January 23, 2017. The
Company has established a dedicated toll-free customer service number to assist customers in
transitioning their service to other providers.
The affected customer is in a location where CenturyLink serves as the underlying incumbent local
exchange carrier. CenturyLink offers voice and data services comparable to those provided by Talk
America Services. Accordingly, the customer will be able to continue to receive uninterrupted telephone
service by switching to CenturyLink or other alternatives prior to Talk America Services' discontinuance
date.
Any questions you may have regarding this filing should be directed to my attention at 407-740-3031 or
via email to [e-mail]. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
Isl Sharon Thomas
Consultant to Talk America Services, LLC
cc: Talk America Services
tms: IDxl 701
Enclosures
ST/st
151 Southhall Lane, Suite 450 -Maitland, FL 32751
P.O. Drawer 200-Winter Park, FL 32790-0200 -Telephone: [phone] -Facsimile: 407-740-0613
www.tminc.com
January 23, 2017
URGENT: Your telephone services will be impacted unless you take action!
Dear Valued Customer,
Talk America Services, LLC will discontinue offering local exchange (dialtone), digital subscriber line (DSL)
internet access and long distance services in your service area on or after April 1, 2017, pending
applicable regulatory approvals, due to the decommissioning of equipment by our wholesale service
provider.
In order to avoid a permanent disruption of your telephone services, please contact Talk America
Services toll-free at 1-800-962-4772 as soon as possible to discuss your available options for an
alternative service provider. Failure to do so may result in insufficient time to transition your services to
an alternative provider and could result in a complete loss of your dialtone, internet access and long
distance services, including the loss of your telephone number, with no short-term ability to restore
them. You will need to migrate these services to on alternative provider before April 1, 2017.
This discontinuance of service will affect Talk America Services' customers in certain areas of Colorado,
Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah,
Washington and Wisconsin.
A filing is being made with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval of this
discontinuance of service.
The FCC will normally authorize this proposed discontinuance of service unless it is shown that
customers would be unable to receive service or a reasonable substitute from another carrier or that
the public convenience and necessity is otherwise adversely affected. If you wish to object, you should
file your comments as soon as possible, but no later than 15 days after the Commission releases public
notice of the proposed discontinuance. You may file your comments electronically through the FCC's
Electronic Comment Filing System using the docket number established in the Commission's public
notice for this proceeding, or you may address them to the Federal Communications Commission,
Wireline Competition Bureau, Competition Policy Division, Washington, DC 20554, and include in your
comments a reference to the §63.71 Application of Talk America Services, LLC. Comments should
include specific information about the impact of this proposed discontinuance upon you or your
company, including any inability to acquire reasonable substitute service.
Talk America Services' customer service can be reached at 1-800-962-4772 or
[e-mail] or in writing at 2134 W Laburnum Ave., Richmond, VA 23227.
Sincerely,
Talk America Services, LLC
2134 W Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23227