Last Call for COMPTEL PLUS Sessions Proposals 

FCC Approves Changes to SMS/800 Inc.

On November 1, the FCC approved the plan for membership and governance of SMS/800, Inc., the entity that oversees the Toll-Free Management Service, to be expanded to include RespOrgs, SCP owners and operators and outside directors. Up until now, the only members and directors of SMS/800 were the three RBOCs. The newly structured entity also will take over the tariffing functions for 800 services that had previously been performed by the RBOCs. This is a positive development for competitors that use or whose customers use 800 numbers. COMPTEL filed in support of these changes. 

FCC Grants Time Warner Cable Petition For Preemption

Also on November 1, the FCC granted Time Warner Cable's (TWC) Petition to Preempt the North Carolina Rural Electrification Authority (NCREA) and arbitrate TWC's interconnection agreement with a small rural telephone company in North Carolina. TWC has been trying for eight years to get an interconnection agreement with the rural carrier, but the NCREA had refused to schedule an arbitration pending resolution of the rural carrier's claims for rural exemptions under 251(f)(1) and (2). This will be the first interconnection arbitration the FCC has done in many years.  

FCC Open Meeting Scheduled for November 14