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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2002 |
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Balmoris 202-418-0253 Email: mbalmori@fcc.gov | |
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION’S COMMON CARRIER BUREAU
REORGANIZED ALONG FUNCTIONAL LINES
Common Carrier Bureau is Renamed Wireline Competition Bureau
Washington, D.C. – As part of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell’s initiative to improve the Commission’s effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness, Dorothy Attwood, Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau today announced the Bureau’s new structure. The Bureau will be renamed the Wireline Competition Bureau and will be organized into the following four Divisions (from the previous six Divisions): Competition Policy Division, Pricing Policy Division, Industry Analysis and Technology Division, and Telecommunications Access Policy Division.
“The restructured, retooled and renamed Bureau – Wireline Competition Bureau – has consolidated its expertise and eliminated duplicative efforts to better accomplish its mission – promoting competition, reducing market barriers, ensuring universal service and encouraging investment in and innovation of advanced technologies,” Bureau Chief Dorothy Attwood said.
Under the FCC’s reorganization plan, the Wireline Competition Bureau’s functions will be streamlined to:
- Improve the administration and fiscal oversight of the funds that it manages, including the universal service fund (high cost, schools and libraries, rural health care, and low-income), the North American Numbering Plan Administration fund and the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) fund.
- Capitalize on the full potential of the Automated Reporting Management Information System (ARMIS) by combining the skills of the staff who collect and understand ARMIS with the staff responsible for analyzing all telecommunications sectors and their trends. ARMIS is a database of financial and operating information from incumbent local exchange carriers (LECs).
- Better integrate all aspects of local competition policymaking.
Following is a summary of the functional changes impacting the Wireline Competition Bureau (see attached for a list of the management staff and functions of the Bureau and its Divisions.):
- Administration and policymaking for numbering resources and the TRS funds will be moved to the Telecommunications Access Policy Division (formerly the Accounting Policy Division). This will place all efforts related to fund administration and policy into one Division, including the following proceedings and issues:
- Numbering Resource Optimization;
- State petitions for numbering resource delegated authority;
- TRS fund oversight; and,
- Oversight over fund administrators, such as NECA and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).- The policymaking function for network related local competition issues will be moved to the Competition Policy Division (formerly the Policy and Program Planning Division).
This will streamline all local competition policymaking into one Division. Specific proceedings and issues consolidated into the Competition Policy Division include:
- Section 214 petitions to discontinue providing service or transferring service;
- Requests for waiver, modification or elimination of merger conditions.
- Directory assistance issues; and,
- Petitions for LATA boundary modifications. - The collection of ARMIS data will be moved to the Industry Analysis and Technology Division (formerly the Industry Analysis Division). This will move the staff and the work of ARMIS to the Division responsible for analyzing industry data to identify trends and providing qualitative and quantitative analyses of various policies. Additionally, administration of CALEA for wireline common carriers will be moved to this Division.
- The review of incumbent LECs’ costs through the Uniform System of Accounts will be moved to the Pricing Policy Division (formerly the Competitive Pricing Division). This puts all aspects of the Uniform System of Accounts and the major policy areas affected by it in the Pricing Policy Division. Specific rulemakings and issues consolidated within this Division include:
- Phase II / III Accounting and Reporting Streamlining proceeding;
- Depreciation; and,
- Allocation of regulated and non-regulated costs.-FCC-
Bureau Contact: Carol Mattey at 202-418-1500.
News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found
on the Commission’s web site www.fcc.gov.
WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU
DIVISION FUNCTIONS AND MANAGEMENT STAFFOffice of the Bureau Chief
Telephone Number: 202-418-1500Bureau Chief: Dorothy Attwood Senior Deputy Bureau Chief: Jeffrey Carlisle Deputy Bureau Chief: Carol Mattey Associate Bureau Chief: Jane Jackson Associate Bureau Chief/Chief of Staff: Richard Lerner Assistant Bureau Chief: Jeffrey Dygert Assistant Bureau Chief: Diane L. Griffin Special Counsel for Competition Policy: Christopher Libertelli Legal Counsel to the Bureau Chief: Scott Bergmann Legal Counsel to the Bureau Chief: Jessica Rosenworcel Public Affairs Specialist: Michael Balmoris Administrative and Management Office Telephone Number: 202-418-1370
Assistant Bureau Chief: Joseph Hall Competition Policy Division (formerly the Policy and Program Planning Division)
Telephone Number: 202-418-1580
This Division is responsible for implementing the non-pricing aspects of the local competition requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Specific policies and rules include interconnection and unbundling requirements for local exchange carriers; the unbundling of network features and functions for information service providers; competition in the interexchange marketplace; and the regulatory classification of carriers. Additionally, in conjunction with the Pricing Policy Division, the Competition Policy Division reviews applications from Bell operating companies for authority to provide in-region interLATA services. The Division also reviews applications from wireline carriers for transfers of licenses and discontinuance of service.Division Chief: Michelle Carey Deputy Division Chief: Gregory Cooke Deputy Division Chief: Thomas Navin Deputy Division Chief: Brent Olson Associate Division Chief: Ann Stevens Assistant Division Chief: William Dever Assistant Division Chief: John Stanley Industry Analysis and Technology Division (formerly the Industry Analysis Division)
Telephone Number: 202-418-0940
As the Bureau’s technology and information division, it is responsible for providing economic, financial, and technical analyses of telecommunications markets to the Bureau, and the Commission. The Division compiles, analyzes, and publishes relevant information, and provides statistical and analytical support to other Bureau and Commission offices in connection with their rulemaking activities. The Division also administers the Bureau’s CALEA-related and residual Part 68 functions.Division Chief: Peyton Wynns Deputy Division Chief: Thomas Beers Deputy Division Chief: Alan Feldman Acting Deputy Division Chief: Cathy H. Zima Assistant Division Chief: Ellen Burton Assistant Division Chief: Fatina Franklin Pricing Policy Division (formerly the Competitive Pricing Division)
Telephone Number: 202-418-1520
This Division is responsible for administering the provisions of the Communications Act requiring that the charges, practices, classifications, and regulations of common carriers providing interstate and foreign services are just and reasonable. Specifically, the Division develops competitive pricing policies and rules for the retail and wholesale interstate rates charged by price-cap carriers and rate-of-return carriers; the intercarrier compensation rates that carriers charge each other; and the rates for resale of local exchange services, unbundled network elements and interconnection that incumbent carriers charge competitive carriers. The Division also ensures compliance with Commission pricing rules and conducts formal or informal investigations of carrier charges, practices, classifications and regulations, and recommends appropriate action. The Division also develops rules and policies relating to the Uniform System of Accounts, affiliate transactions, regulated/non-regulated cost allocations, and depreciation. Additionally, in conjunction with the Competition Policy Division, this Division reviews applications from Bell operating companies for authority to provide in-region interLATA services.Division Chief: Tamara Preiss Deputy Division Chief: Clifford Rand Deputy Division Chief: Deena Shetler Deputy Division Chief: Jack Zinman Assistant Division Chief: Aaron Goldschmidt Assistant Division Chief: Judith Nitsche Assistant Division Chief: Len Smith Telecommunications Access Policy Division (formerly the Accounting Policy Division)
Telephone Number: 202-418-7400
This Division is responsible for advancing the goals of universal service of the Act and developing rules and policies relating to numbering. Specifically, the Division develops rules and policies to ensure that consumers in all regions of the Nation have access to quality telecommunications and information services at affordable rates and administers a comprehensive policy for Commission oversight over funds used to support universal service, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), and numbering resources. The Division also reviews the deployment of advanced telecommunications capability to ensure that such deployment is reasonable and timely, consistent with Section 706 of the Act, and develops rules and policies relating to jurisdictional separations. Additionally, the Division provides federal staff support for the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service and the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations.Division Chief: Katherine Schroder Deputy Division Chief: Eric Einhorn Deputy Division Chief: Mark Seifert Deputy Division Chief: Sharon Webber Assistant Division Chief: Cheryl Callahan Assistant Division Chief: Anita Cheng Assistant Division Chief: William Scher