Colo. PUC rejected 14 Qwest interconnection agreements previously...

Colo. PUC rejected 14 Qwest interconnection agreements previously entered into with various CLECs. PUC said contracts were against public interest because they contained discriminatory provisions and required CLECs to drop opposition to Qwest’s merger and long distance entry initiatives at PUC. AT&T last spring asked agency to investigate whether Qwest had failed to file CLEC agreements and amendments that should have been submitted to agency for approval. AT&T asked after Minn. Dept. of Commerce in Feb. accused Qwest of making preferential deals with CLECs to silence their opposition to its regulatory pleas. Minn. PUC this summer concluded Qwest had violated law by failing to file agreements and now is considering penalties. Colo. PUC approved 2 unfiled agreements that involved MFS Communications and McLeod USA, saying neither had any improper impacts on competition. PUC also set Nov. 26 prehearing conference in its investigation into whether Qwest’s failure to file agreements impaired competition in state. Docket will consider whether Qwest should be punished and what remedies would ensure that future interconnection agreements were filed as required. In another matter, PUC called for comments by Nov. 27 on whether it should open rulemaking to change processes for reviewing tariffs. It asked commenters to address whether current tariff requirements and practices impaired carriers’ ability to respond to competition and what reforms might alleviate any impairment. PUC also asked what processes might be followed for customers to challenge rates and terms of services if they were detariffed.