3. Nature and Extent of Planned Participation;
Estimate of CompensationUCAN states:
As an intervenor, UCAN has raised issues pertaining to Cingular's use of termination fees to compel customers to use service that is inconsistent with representations made by Cingular sales representatives. UCAN will delve into Cingular's sales and service practices as they pertain to customer dissatisfaction with the company's coverage. Additionally, UCAN plans to be active in most, if not all, of the issues outlined in ... the scoping memo. (UCAN NOI at p. 2.)
The Commission will not attempt to carve out the areas or issues on which UCAN may focus free of all risk of unnecessarily duplicating other parties' efforts. UCAN was advised at the PHC at the time that its intervention was granted that it should coordinate with other parties to avoid duplication problems and this ruling reiterates that caution.
UCAN estimates, that absent settlement of this proceeding, it may incur as much as $148,000 in expenses, as follows: $108,500 in attorneys' fees (500 hours by its junior attorney at $100/hour and 300 hours by its senior attorney at $195/hour); $15,000 in paralegal costs (200 hours at $75/hour); $20,000 in expert witness fees; and $5,000 in miscellaneous costs. UCAN indicates that this estimate includes "fairly high pre-trial costs." UCAN's estimates are noted. This ruling makes no affirmative findings regarding the reasonableness of the total or any component of the estimate. UCAN is reminded that it bears the risk that some or all of its compensation request ultimately may be denied.
