ALJ/TRP/sid Mailed 12/16/2005
Decision 05-12-047 December 15, 2005
BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Order Instituting Rulemaking on the Commission's Own Motion into Competition for Local Exchange Service. |
Rulemaking 95-04-043 (Filed April 26, 1995) |
Order Instituting Investigation on the Commission's Own Motion into Competition |
Investigation 95-04-044 (Filed April 26, 1995) |
OPINION ON PETITION FOR MODIFICATION
I. Introduction
By this decision, we address the Petition, filed on August 3, 2005, by Douglas F. Carlson, to Modify Decision (D.) 96-12-086. Specifically, Carlson seeks to modify the dialing requirements in D.96-12-086 applicable to calls originating in, and destined to, telephone numbers in the geographic area served by an overlay. Under D.96-12-086, customers were required to dial the prefix "1" followed by the three-digit area code and seven-digit line number for all such calls (commonly referred to as 1+10-digit dialing).1 Carlson seeks modification of D.96-12-086 to eliminate the requirement that the prefix "1" be dialed before the area code and seven-digit line number for calls within an overlay region. Carlson describes his proposed modification as 10-digit dialing (as opposed to 1+10-digit dialing). Carlson seeks to have this proposed modification incorporated into the implementation of the 310/424 area code overlay that was previously approved by D.05-08-040, as well as for prospective area code overlays within California.
Comments in support of Carlson's Petition were filed by the California Association of Competitive Telephone Companies (CALTEL). Comments in support were also filed by the Telephone Connection of Los Angeles and The Telephone Connection Local Services, LLC (collectively, TCLA). TCLA concurrently filed a motion to reopen the evidentiary record relating to the 1+10-digit overlay dialing requirement for areas subject to overlays. A response in opposition to the TCLA motion was filed jointly by Pacific Bell Telephone Company dba SBC California (SBC) and Verizon California Inc. (Verizon). A separate joint response in opposition to TCLA was filed by Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile.
We decline to adopt this proposed modification for purposes of the 310/424 overlay, but leave open the possibility of adopting the proposed modification for future overlays implemented within California. We provide for parties to file an additional round of comments on this issue, as outlined below as a basis for rendering a final decision on the applicability of 10-digit dialing to future overlays.
1 The "1" preceding the 10 digits signals that the following three digits will be an area code rather than a central office prefix. For calls involving telephone numbers of some wireline carriers, their networks within California are currently configured to require that the "1" prefix be dialed preceding the 10 digits. The "1" prefix is not mandated by the Federal Communications Commission, but reflects the protocol currently used by the telecommunications industry within California. The networks for wireless carriers currently do not require that the prefix "1" be dialed preceding a 10-digit-dialed number. In the discussion in this decision, references to 10-digit dialing should be understood as recognizing the "1+" prefix for calls involving some wireline telephone numbers.
