2. Background

On February 18, 2011, Plumas Sierra Telecommunications (Plumas) filed an Application seeking authority to provide competitive local exchange, access, and interexchange services within the counties of Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen. Plumas was awarded a Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program (BTOP) Grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to provide broadband data services under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Plumas will build a fiber optic open access network that will traverse through parts of Plumas, Sierra and Lassen Counties; Plumas will not initially offer any local exchange voice or any voice services, except as authorized by D.95-07-054. All services will be provided over facilities owned by Plumas' parent company, Plumas Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative (PSREC), unbundled loops of the local incumbent telecommunications providers, and interexchange facilities owned by other certified carriers. Plumas will lease unbundled network elements and local loops from Pacific Bell dba AT&T California (AT&T) and Frontier Communications (Frontier) within the local service areas where PSREC does not have such facilities.

Plumas states that it filed this application mainly for the purpose of becoming a Competitive Local Carrier (CLC) so that it may negotiate with AT&T and Frontier under Section 251(c) of the 1996 Telecom Act for collocation and unbundled network elements needed for its data network.