VII. Presiding Officer and Scope of Proceeding
A December 10, 1998 Scoping Memo and Ruling was issued by the assigned Commissioner that affirmed the preliminary ratesetting classification of this application as defined in Rule 5(c) of the Commission's Rules. That ruling also designated ALJ Galvin as the principal hearing officer, confirmed the need for evidentiary hearings, and determined the scope of the proceeding. The issues to be addressed in this proceeding were market power, above and below the line treatment, and impact of the Universal Service Fund on intra Local Access and Transport Area (intraLATA)7 Toll.
7 California is divided into ten Local Access and Transport Areas (LATAs) of various sizes, each containing numerous local telephone exchanges. "IntraLATA" describes services, revenues, and functions that relate to telecommunications originating and terminating within a single LATA.
