28201.doc

BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF THE JOINT APPLICATION OF U S WEST COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND NPCR, INC. FOR APPROVAL OF AN INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT PURSUANT TO 47 U.S.C. § 252(e). )
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CASE NO. USW-T-99-22

ORDER NO. 28201

On September 1, 1999, NPCR, Inc. (NPCR) and U S WEST Communications, Inc. (U S WEST) filed an Application for approval of an interconnection agreement arrived at through voluntary negotiations. The Agreement is a Type 2 wireless agreement and will enable the parties to connect their facilities and exchange traffic between U S WEST’s wireline facilities and NPCR’s wireless facilities. This Agreement was reached through voluntary negotiations without resort to mediation or arbitration and is submitted for approval pursuant to 47 U.S.C.  252(e), a provision of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (the Act).
Section 252(e)(2) of the Act directs that a state Commission may reject an agreement reached through voluntary negotiations only if the Commission finds that
(i) the agreement (or portions thereof) discriminates against a telecommunications carrier not a party to the agreement; or

(ii) the implementation of such agreement or portion is not consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity.

The parties assert that the agreement does not discriminate against other telecommunication carriers and that it is consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity.
On October 1, 1999, the Commission issued a Notice of Joint Petition and Notice of Modified Procedure to process the petition. Only the Commission Staff filed comments, recommending approval of the interconnection agreement.
Based on our review of the record in this case, including the recommendation of the Staff, we find that the agreement between NPCR and U S WEST should be approved.

O R D E R
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the interconnection agreement between U S WEST Communications, Inc. and NPCR, Inc. is approved. Terms of the agreement that are not already in effect shall be effective as of the date of this Order.
THIS IS A FINAL ORDER. Any person interested in this Order (or in issues finally decided by this Order) or in interlocutory Orders previously issued in this Case No. USWT9922 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 or in interlocutory Orders previously issued in this Case No. USW-T-99-22 . 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 November 1999.

DENNIS S. HANSEN, PRESIDENT

MARSHA H. SMITH, COMMISSIONER

AUL KJELLANDER, COMMISSIONER

Myrna J. Walters
Commission Secretary

vld/O:USW-T-99-22_ws2

ORDER NO. 28201 1

Office of the Secretary
Service Date
November 8, 1999