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Telecommunications

      
   
Application Requirements for Requesting Certification to Provide Competitive Local Exchange Services

(Based on administrative requirements beginning with a Commission order dated July 20, 1995.)

A telecommunications provider seeking to provide local exchange services (other than as a reseller) shall file a petition with the Commission to obtain certification as an Alternative Telecommunications Utility - Other. Please file application and all supporting documents via the Public Service Commission's (PSC) Electronic Regulatory Filing (ERF) system located at http://psc.wi.gov/apps35/erf_public/default.aspx. There is NO FILING FEE, although applicant will be subject to assessment for Commission expenses pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 196.85. Applications are normally processed within 90 days from receipt of a completed application and average 45 days to process. Please do not submit financial statements, resumes, or tariffs with your application. The petition must contain the following information:

(a.) The name and address of the telecommunications provider (including any trade or "doing business as" names), with the name, title, and telephone and facsimile numbers of a responsible contact officer.
 
(b.) The name, title, and telephone and facsimile number of the person responsible for submitting the Annual Report.
 
(c.) The names and corporate relationships of all companies which are in a holding company system with petitioner.
 
(d.) A description of the types of service to be offered and the classes of customers to be served.
 
(e.) The geographic market and originating exchanges to be served.
 
(f.) The identity of all underlying carriers from which service is to be obtained.
 
(g.) The location and description of switching facilities.
 
(h.) A description of any affiliated interest contracts or arrangements as defined in § 196.52, Stats., specifically pertaining to contracts or arrangements with Wisconsin Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers.
 
(i.) A description of the quality of service to be offered to all customers, including plans for assurance of 911 service.
 
(j.) A copy and description of all certifications that applicant has previously received from the Commission.
 
(k.) If applicable, a copy of the certificate from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) (see note below) authorizing the petitioner to transact business in Wisconsin as a corporation. Do not submit your application to DFI or any non Wisconsin incorporation documents. If applicable, submit your Wisconsin corporation documents. If you are not registered with that office, call (608) 261-7577 for information or write to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Attention Division of Corporate and Consumer Services, PO Box 7846, Madison WI, 53707 7846. You may also contact them through their website at http://www.wdfi.org/corporations/forms/default.htm.
 
(l.) A notorized affidavit signed by a corporate officer authorized to bind petitioner which verifies that all information provided in the petition is true and correct, to the best of the officer's knowledge or belief.
 
(m.) Any other information required by the Commission.
 

To avoid multiple proceedings, Commission authorizations typically are framed to include private line services statewide and ALL territories open for facilities based competition even if not specifically mentioned by the applicant. Requesting a territory does not obligate the applicant to serve that territory. There are certain territories open for routine certification for facilities based service (listed below). All other territories in Wisconsin are serviced by Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) with 150,000 or less access lines and each, therefore, must be requested separately. Suggested language for a routine request for open territories is as follows: "alternative telecommunications utility, per s. 196.01(1d)(f), Stats. authorized to provide statewide intrastate interLATA and intraLATA toll telecommunications services, resale of services authorized for resale, facilities-based switched local exchange service to residential and business customers in all territories open by virtue of their Alternative Regulatory Plan (ARP) including 3 companies owned by Frontier Corporation, 8 by CenturyTel, and 13 by TDS Telecom, Inc., and Mount Horeb Telephone Company; also open for competition are Wisconsin Bell, Inc., d/b/a AT&T Wisconsin, Verizon North, Inc.1, CenturyTel of the Midwest-Kendall, LLC, CenturyTel of Central Wisconsin, LLC, and Telephone USA of Wisconsin, LLC 2, local service exchange areas and private line services statewide."

There is a separate application process to become a reseller, which is considered to NOT be facilities based. Facilities in Wisconsin are defined as transmission facilities (generally, owned or leased microwave, fiber or copper). A reseller cannot exceed a value (ownership or capitol lease) of $400,000 of transmission facilities without upgrading their certification to that of a CLEC. A reseller in Wisconsin is subject to the provisions of Wis. Adm. Code ch. PSC 168 which, among others, contains no limitation on ownership of Central Office Equipment and, generally, provides a lesser level of regulation than for CLEC's.

PSC Staff Contacts Phone E-mail Address
Ken Barth (608) 267-2406 Ken Barth
Jamie Maday (608) 267-2894 Jamie Maday
1. On July 7, 2000 the Commission received notification of name change from GTE North Incorporated to Verizon North, Inc. (Verizon).
 
2. In 1998, Ameritech, AT&T Wisconsin, sold 19 exchanges to CenturyTel of the Midwest-Kendall, LLC (Kendall). The sale became effective December 1, 1998. On September 30, 2000, in dockets 2055-NC-100 and 5846-NC-100, 77 Verizon exchanges were sold to CenturyTel of Central Wisconsin, LLC (CCW) and Telephone USA of Wisconsin, LLC (Tel USA). CenturyTel Service Group, Inc. (Century) has consented under Wis. Stat. § 196.50(1)(b)2.b. to all requests to serve in the exchanges of CCW, Tel USA, and Kendall but is not abandoning its role of "designated provider of last resort" under Wis. Stat. § 196.50(1)(b). Century also waived the right to assert rural telephone company status under 47 U.S.C. § 251(f)(1) in those dockets, as created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.