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Mr. Jeff Ward
Senior Vice President – Regulatory Compliance
Verizon Communications
1310 North Courthouse Rd. – 4th Floor
Arlington, VA 22201

RE:  Bell Atlantic/GTE Merger Order, CC Docket No. 98-184

Dear Mr. Ward:

On December 11, 2001, the Common Carrier Bureau approved in part Verizon Communications, Inc.’s (Verizon) proposed changes to the Bell Atlantic/GTE Merger Order’s Carrier-to-Carrier Performance Plan.1  The Bureau required Verizon to submit a proposed schedule for implementation of the approved changes.2  On December 26, 2001, Verizon responded with its proposed schedule.3  Specifically, Verizon proposes to implement those changes that either eliminate a metric or clarify the business rules effective with the December 2001 data month for both Verizon East and Verizon West.  For Verizon East, Verizon proposes to implement provisioning metric changes beginning with the March 2002 data month and pre-ordering, ordering and maintenance and repair metrics beginning with the April 2002 data month.  For Verizon West, Verizon proposes to implement pre-ordering and maintenance and repair measurement changes beginning with the February 2002 data month, except for PO-1-05 changes, which, along with the Verizon West ordering and provisioning measurements changes, will be made beginning with the March 2002 data month.

I find Verizon’s proposals reasonable.  Verizon should therefore implement the changes as proposed.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.  You may also contact Mark 
Stone in the Common Carrier Bureau directly at (202) 418-0816 for further information on this matter.
 
       Sincerely,


       Carol E. Mattey
       Deputy Chief, Common Carrier Bureau


CC: 	Dee May, Verizon
1 See Applications of GTE Corporation, Transferor, and Bell Atlantic Corporation, Transferee, For Consent to Transfer Control of Domestic and International Sections 214 and 310 Authorizations and Application to Transfer Control of a Submarine Cable Landing License, CC Docket No. 98-184, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 15 FCC Rcd 14032 at Appendix D, Attachment A (2000) (Bell Atlantic/GTE Merger Order or Merger Order); Letter from Carol E. Mattey, Deputy Chief, Common Carrier Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, to Jeff Ward, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Compliance, Verizon, (Dec. 11, 2001) (Bureau December 11th Letter).
2 Bureau December 11th Letter at 2.
3 See Letter from Dee May, Executive Director, Federal Regulatory, Verizon, to Magalie Roman Salas, Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, CC Docket No. 98-184 (filed Dec. 26, 2001).


Federal Communications Commission	                             DA 02-12

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Federal Communications Commission	                             DA 02-12 
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554

January 8, 2001