Ohio PUC ordered state’s 4 largest incumbent telcos to reduce the...

Ohio PUC ordered state’s 4 largest incumbent telcos to reduce their intrastate access charges to interstate levels set by FCC July 1 when it implemented CALLS Coalition’s access and universal service reform plan for large telcos. PUC directed Ameritech, Cincinnati Bell, Sprint and Verizon, which put interstate CALLS into effect July 1, to file new access tariffs by end of Jan. Agency ordered interexchange carriers to follow promptly with their plans for passing their access savings across the board to their customers. In past, Ohio set intrastate access charges by mirroring structure and rates of interstate access charges, but PUC in June 30 decision halted mirroring until it had chance to review impacts on state if access rate reductions required by CALLS plan were put into effect on intrastate basis. PUC concluded that resumption of interstate access mirroring rather than company-by-company PUC access charge reviews would be most sensible way to promote policy goals of lower interexchange rates, elimination of implicit subsidies, efficient competition and investment and regulatory certainty for telecom industry. For state’s smaller incumbents, PUC said it wouldn’t change anything until FCC decided on interstate access and universal service reforms pending for rural telcos. For CLECs, PUC said their access charges would remain capped at their present levels, with cuts permitted. Increases, however, will require full cost support.