USWT9711.docx

WELDON B. STUTZMAN
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
472 WEST WASHINGTON STREET
PO BOX 83720
BOISE,  IDAHO  83720-0074
[phone]
Street Address for Express Mail:
472 W WASHINGTON
BOISE ID  83702-5983
Attorney for the Commission Staff
BEFORE  THE  IDAHO  PUBLIC  UTILITIES  COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION)
OF U S WEST COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)CASE  NO.  USW-T-97-11
FOR APPROVAL OF AN INTER-)
CONNECTION AGREEMENT WITH)
COMMNET CELLULAR INC. PURSUANT)COMMENTS OF THE
TO 47 U.S.C. § 252(e).)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, in response to the Notice of Application and Notice of Modified Procedure in Case No. USW-T-97-11 issued May 9, 1997, submits the following comments.
On April 23, 1997, U S WEST Communications, Inc. (U S WEST) filed an Application for approval of an interconnection agreement with CommNet Cellular Inc. (CommNet).  The Agreement, which was reached through voluntary negotiations without resorting to mediation or arbitration, provides for U S WEST and CommNet to interconnect their facilities and interchange traffic.
In its application for approval, U S WEST asserts that the Agreement does not discriminate against other telecommunications carriers and that it is consistent with the public interest, convenience, and necessity.
Staff has reviewed the Agreement and finds that it mirrors the Agreement between
U S WEST and Western Wireless in Case No. USW-T-96-11/WST-T-96-1.  That agreement was submitted and approved based upon the Commission’s Arbitration Decision dated December 26, 1996.
As with the Western Wireless Agreement, Staff believes that the U S WEST/CommNet Agreement is in the public interest and should be approved.
DATED  at Boise, Idaho, this            day of May 1997.
_______________________________
Weldon B. Stutzman
Deputy Attorney General
_______________________________
Joe Cusick, Supervisor
Telecommunications Division
ws:JWC/umsic/comments\uswt9711.ws