Discussion

No customers should encounter overly adverse effects by discontinuance of the services at issue. Customers received adequate notice, and arrangements were made for a seamless transition to alternative carriers. Neither the need, nor the financial means, for providing these services now exists. We will grant the application and authorize the discontinuance of these services.

A competitive local carrier is typically not the carrier of last resort for its customers. Consequently, our primary concern is that customers receive proper notice of the withdrawal from service. This is equally true for interexchange carriers. D.97-06-096 articulates the notice requirements for customer transfers, following advice letter filing, and there are useful guidelines for adequate post-approval notice here:

1. The notice must be in writing;




2. The carrier must provide it to customers no later than 30 days

before the proposed transfer,

3. The notice must contain a straightforward description of the transfer, any fees the customer will be expected to pay,
a statement of the customer's right to switch to another carrier, and a toll-free number for questions; and




4. The notice and the carrier's description of service to customers must be included in the advice letter.

Although the applicants provided adequate notice of their intentions, information about options for making the transition a new carrier, and customer assistance to affected customers well before the anticipated 30-day transition date, out of an abundance of caution we will require the applicants to renotify any remaining customers immediately and refrain from terminating service to those customers for 30 days after the such notice.