Report No. CC-584          COMMON CARRIER ACTION            August 11, 1994


       FCC GRANTS GUAM TELEPHONE AUTHORITY'S REQUEST FOR DECLARATORY
              RULING REGARDING EQUAL ACCESS PROTOCOL FOR GUAM

     The Commission has granted the Guam Telephone Authority's
(GTA) request for a declaratory ruling: 1) specifying the equal
access protocol for Guam; and, 2) stating that the implementation
of Feature Group D (FGD) on Guam is not a violation of the
Communications Act, or of any outstanding Commission order or
directive.  This action was taken over the objection of Columbia
Communications Corporation.

     Prior to 1993, GTA engaged in anticompetitive acts that
favored the dominant interexchange carrier on Guam.  On June 2,
1992, the FCC issued a show cause order that required GTA to show
cause why it should not file a lawful access tariff with the
Commission or , failing to do so, why the FCC should not
prescribe a lawful tariff.  The show cause order included
interlocutory provisions to prevent additional violations of the 
Communications Act pending conclusion of the Show Cause Order
proceedings.

     In April 1993, GTA filed an "Integrated Compliance Plan"
(ICP), containing a six-step transitional approach, that GTA
stated was designed to bring GTA into compliance with the Show
Cause Order.  The ICP stated that GTA intended to file a usage
sensitive tariff on January 1, 1994.

     GTA's switch software, however, was not able to measure
interexchange carrier access minutes which, GTA stated, is
essential to the administration of a usage sensitive access
tariff.  GTA asked the Commission to specify the equal access
protocol that should be used on Guam.  In a separate petition,
Columbia requested that the Commission rule that GTA's existing
CAMA/ANI protocol, with usage measurement software added, is the
appropriate equal access protocol to use on Guam.



                                  (over)






                                    -2-

     In its ruling, the Commission concluded that the
implementation of FGD is in the public interest, as expressed in
Sections 1 and 7 of the Communications Act.  The Commission
reached this conclusion because FGD will promote interexchange
competition, facilitate the technological development of new
communications services, and provide reliable measurement
software at lesser cost.

     Action by the Commission August 4, 1994, by Memorandum
Opinion and Order (FCC 94-205).  Chairman Hundt, Commissioners
Quello, Barrett, Ness, and Chong.

                                   -FCC-

     News Media contact: Patricia A. Chew at (202) 418-0500.
     Common Carrier Bureau contact: Kent R. Nilsson at (202) 634-
1861.