WTA Files Comments on Review and Possible Revision of Separations Rules

Yesterday, WTA filed comments regarding the review and possible overhaul of the separations rules.  WTA’s comments urge that a significant overhaul of the separations rules is neither necessary nor cost-justified given the limited application of the separations rules in today’s marketplace due to changes in services and regulatory structures.  WTA also cautions the Commission that separations changes can have potential adverse impacts, both predictable and unforeseen, upon broadband deployment and adoption.  Rather than major separations modifications, WTA’s comments advocate for minor revisions and simplifications are more practicable and effective at this time.

WTA also proposed that RLECs that froze certain category relationships in 2001 should have a limited, one-time option to unfreeze one or more of such frozen relationships, and should be given the option: (a) to unfreeze the specified category relationships, use prescribed data from the preceding two-year interstate tariff period to calculate revised category relationships, and re-freeze the new calculated category relationships; or (b) to unfreeze the specified category relationships, and calculate the unfrozen category relationships going forward using the same types of studies and procedures employed by those RLECs that did not freeze their category relationships.