Group Requests FCC NOI On Transition To All-Broadband Networks

WASHINGTON, December 18, 2009 – The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies on Friday called on the Federal Communications Commission to request public comment on how public policy can best facilitate the transition of the public switched telephone network to a broadband network.

Elements of an FCC notice of inquiry should include questions related to “the length of time for the transition, jurisdictions, definitions for a completed transition, legacy network needs until all customers are switched over, PSTN maintenance during and after a transition, carrier of last resort issues, consumer choice and pricing issues, and quality and reliability issues,” the group said in comments it filed on a proposed national broadband plan.

“Today’s policy rules, which were designed for the PSTN, could cause irreparable harm if the rules do not also change as we transition to an all-broadband network,” OPASTCO President John Rose said in statement. OPASTCO, which says it represents small, independently owned, local telecommunications companies serving primarily rural areas in the United States and Canada.