Word Document PDF Document

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Telecommunications Division

RESOLUTION T-16841

Carrier Branch

May 27, 2004

R E S O L U T I O N

Resolution T-16841. Verizon California, Inc. (U-1002-C). Request to Grandfather Custom Calling Services Called a) Select a Ring for two or three additional numbers and, b) Remote Activation of Call Forwarding which were offered by Contel.

By Advice Letter No. 10808 Filed on March 23, 2004.

_________________________________________________________________

Summary

This Resolution approves the request of Verizon California Inc. (Verizon) to grandfather a) Select a Ring service for two or three additional numbers and, b) Remote Activation of Call Forwarding. These services were historically offered by Contel and should have been incorporated into the tariffs after the GTE/Contel merger. According to Verizon, these services were inadvertently left off its tariff schedules effective January 1, 1998 after its merger with Contel.

Background

By Advice Letter 10808, filed March 23, 2004, Verizon requested authority to grandfather these services. At the time of the GTE/Contel merger, the successor company, GTE California, Inc. (now known as Verizon California, Inc.), was to continue the services of Contel at the rates in the appendix of Decision 97-12-091. The rates for Remote Activation of Call Forwarding and for Select a Ring for 2 and 3 additional telephone numbers were inadvertently omitted. Verizon has a minimal number of customers in each service.

Verizon does not want to offer these services to its customers who were in the former GTE territory nor to new customers in the former Contel area. Consequently Verizon is requesting that the omission from the tariffs be corrected and that the service be grandfathered.

Notice/Protests

Verizon indicates that copies of the Advice Letter were mailed to interested utilities and/or parties. Notice of Advice Letter No. 10808 was published in the Commission Daily Calendar of March 29, 2004. No protests to this Advice Letter have been received.

Verizon had contacted the customers to see whether they desire to discontinue the service since Verizon did not want to continue to offer it. However, customers indicated a desire to continue to receive the respective services. Consequently, in conjunction with this filing, Verizon sent each affected customer a letter explaining that the service would be grandfathered and that they could continue receiving the service.

Discussion

During merger of the two companies, Verizon California, Inc. agreed to adopt the tariffs and services of Contel. Verizon offers a Select a Ring service for one additional number. If the additional number is dialed, then the phone rings with a distinctive ring. Contel offered additional options of two or three additional numbers. Verizon will continue to offer the services to former Contel customers on a grandfathered basis. Verizon has three customers on Select a Ring with two additional lines and one customer with Select a Ring with three additional numbers.

Verizon does not want to offer additional Select a Ring services in California, because it is only available on Nortel DMS100 and Lucent 5ESS switches. Verizon still has GTD5 switches for about half of the total switches in their network in California. In the former Contel area, the Right To Use (RTU) fees were already paid. Since the service would not be available in the entire service area, Verizon does not believe it is prudent to continue to offer the service. There appears to be little demand for the service and it would not be cost effective to incur the cost for RTU fees where the equipment would permit it. Verizon wants to grandfather the service because of its limited availability and lack of customer demand.

Contel also offered Remote Activation of Call Forwarding. Verizon believes that this service has the potential to be used for toll fraud if someone, other than the customer, activates it. Verizon does not wish to offer this service in the future but will grandfather existing former Contel customers who currently have Remote Activation of Call Forwarding. Verizon has two residential and one business customer with Remote Activation of Call Forwarding.

By grandfathering these services, the existing customers will continue to receive the service, but the service will not be available to new customers after the effective date of the revised tariff. If the existing customer, subscribing to the service, moves or discontinues the service, then these offerings will no longer be available.

The Telecommunications Division (TD) recommends that the Commission approve the request of Verizon to grandfather these services for the reasons stated above.

Commission approval of TD's recommendations is based on the specifics of this Advice Letter and its associated tariff sheets, and does not establish a precedent for the contents of future filings or for Commission approval of similar requests.

Comments on DRAFT Resolution

This is an uncontested matter in which the resolution grants the relief requested. Accordingly, pursuant to PU code Section 311(g) (2), the otherwise applicable 30-day period for public review and comment is being waived.

Findings

1. At the time of the GTE/Contel merger Verizon was to adopt the tariffs with the rates that were in the appendix of Decision 97-12-091.

2. Verizon inadvertently did not include the rates for Remote Activation of Call Forwarding and Select a Ring for two or three additional telephone numbers.

3. These services should be in the current tariffs for Verizon.

4. Verizon cannot offer the Select a Ring for two or three additional telephone numbers in its entire service area because of limitations on equipment.

5. Verizon believes that Remote Activation to Call Forwarding has the potential for toll fraud if someone other than the subscribing customer can activate it.

6. Verizon has very few customers for these offerings and does not wish to offer the service to new customers, so these services should be grandfathered.

THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that:

1. Verizon California, Inc.'s Advice Letter No. 10808, requesting authority to grandfather the following services: a) Select a Ring for Two or Three Additional Number and, b) Remote Activation of Call Forwarding, is granted subject to the conditions in Ordering Paragraph 2.

2. Within 10 days of the effective date of this Resolution, Verizon California, Inc. shall file a supplement to Advice Letter No. 10808 to indicate the effective date the custom calling features in Ordering Paragraph 1 will be grandfathered. The tariff sheets attached to the supplemental Advice Letter shall be marked to show that they were made effective by Resolution T-16841.

3. The supplemental advice letter will become effective 10 days after filing unless suspended by the Telecommunications Division.

This Resolution is effective today.

I hereby certify that the Public Utilities Commission adopted this Resolution at its regular meeting on May 27, 2004. The following Commissioners approved it:

Top Of Page