Protests

Three Sprint ION customers filed timely protests.

Alonzo Protest

Manuel J. Alonzo's protest may be summarized as follows:

"The true reasons for the request should be investigated and remediated by the Commission." "...[U]nfair business practices by the Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers... have handicapped... Sprint's ability to expand its customer base and made [it] more difficult for Sprint to market its services. Those unfair ILECs business practices should be mitigated...."

"Sprint should be required to keep ION in-service until the CPUC is able to complete its investigation of the ILEC competitive issues."

Alonzo and other customers were required to submit to a two-year commitment to obtain ION service. Discontinuing ION service is a breach of contract by Sprint. The compensation Sprint is offering is inadequate. Sprint should reimburse its customers at least two years' worth of the very significant cost increases they will incur to obtain equivalent replacement services elsewhere.

The only purpose of Sprint's proposed ratesetting categorization is to avoid the need for hearing and public participation from its customers. Sprint's request for expedited treatment should be denied; the Commission should hold hearings in the Los Angeles area no earlier than January 2002.

Holt Protest

Larry Don Holt submitted a protest that was identically worded to most of Alonzo's, with some of Alonzo's material deleted. The only part of our summary of Alonzo's protest above that does not apply to Holt's is the single sentence referring to Sprint's ratesetting categorization.

Goldfarb Protest

Benjamin P. Goldfarb protests that he has been severely inconvenienced by the time and expense he has invested in having ION service installed, and subsequently arranging to have his service with Pacific Bell reinstalled. He estimates his lost earnings and out of pocket expense caused by Sprint to be more than $8,000, far in excess of the $400 compensation Sprint is offering him. He implies (but does not directly request) that Sprint should be required to reimburse him for those losses. Goldfarb's protest does not ask the Commission to deny Sprint's application.