The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio hosted the latest Ohio Local Number Portability Workshop on May 5, 1997

NOTE: This summary contains important information regarding disputes over selectable switches and upcoming deadlines.

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The meeting was presided over by Chair, Terry Appenzeller and Staff member Scott Potter.

UPDATES on FCC, NANC & PUCO

FCC:

The FCC's Second Report and Order confirms the Ohio (and Ameritech Region's) switch selection methodology. We will proceed with the implementation of LNP on a by requested switch basis within the seven affected MSAs.

Mr. Appenzeller informed us that the FCC is still targeting an early June date for the release of its order on LNP cost recovery issues.

NANC:

The NANC LNPA Working Group has submitted its recommendation document to the NANC. The document recommends seven NPAC regions (similar to the seven RBOC regions). Lockheed-Martin or Perot Systems have been chosen as the NPAC in each region. The Ameritech region was a model for much of what is represented in the final recommendations.

PUCO:

Mr. Potter informed the workshop that the PUCO staff had developed a corrected Switch List which was submitted to all NECs in March. 5 new entrants had submitted switch requests by the extended deadline of April 25.

LNP IMPLEMENTATION IN OHIO

Staff returned the switch lists to the affected ILECs that were present. Staff will make available an aggregate list of all selected switches to any party of interest upon request to Mr. Potter.

215 of 327 possible switches were selected throughout the seven MSAs

Mr. Potter told the workshop that the overwhelming majority of the requested switches were considered by Staff to be reasonable requests. Of the few switches in question, Staff contacted the requesting NECs individually and came to agreements as to what switch requests were not reasonable and would therefore be deleted from the master request list. In determining whether a switch request was reasonable staff considered the following:

  1. New entrants certification (or request for certification) and territory maps that Ohio requires as part of a certification request.
  2. New entrants request for interconnection
  3. Staff's basic understanding of the NECs service offering plans

DISPUTED SWITCH LISTS AND STAFF PROPOSAL GOING FORWARD

Mr. Potter informed the workshop that there were several NECs that submitted lists of switches which they believed should have been on the switch list but were not. Even after considerable Staff analysis and efforts to educate the NECs on what counties were in the MSAs several disputes remain. Mr. Potter listed the counties that are in the seven MSAs and discussed the U.S. Census Bureau document that Staff requested from the FCC to verify the MSAs. In light of the FCC requirement that ILECs know what switches have been requested for LNP conversion, at least, nine months in advance of the MSA deadline staff proposed and the workshop agreed to the following process for dealing with disputed switches.

Any NEC who has already submitted a Switch Request (as of 4/25/97) that believes specific switches were incorrectly omitted from the Master Pick List may seek resolution of the disputed switch(es) by:

  1. Submitting a list to Staff of the switches in question
  2. Lists must be submitted to Staff ten months in advance of the deadline for the MSA where the disputed switch is believed to be located
  3. Switch lists must include: (a) exchange or English name, (b) the CLLI code, if known, (c) the county in which the switch is located, and (d) the LEC that owns the switch.
  4. With 30 days staff will verify with the affected ILECs and disputed switches
  5. Any switches verified to be in the MSA, but omitted from the ILECs submitted switch list will be an LNP selected switch by default.

The deadlines for submitting disputed switches in each MSA is as follows:

  1. Cleveland and Cincinnati MSAs == 07/15/97
  2. Columbus MSA == 08/30/97
  3. Akron and Dayton MSAs == 12/30/97
  4. Toledo and Youngstown MSAs == 03/30/98

REQUESTING A SWITCH IF YOU DID NOT SUBMIT A PICK LIST BY 4/25/97

Within the seven Top 100 MSAs in Ohio, carrier may request a switch conversion to LNP through a BFR process anytime after the deadline for the MSA expires. No BFRs for additional switch conversions (beyond those on the submitted Pick Lists and any dispute additions) need to be entertained by the ILEC until after the MSA deadline has passed.

Outside of the seven Top 100 MSAs, a carrier may request a switch conversion to LNP through the BFR process anytime after 12/31/98.

OPERATION COMMITTEE UPDATE

Barry Bishop updated us on the status of the regional operations committee. He provided the workshop attendants with a very helpful LNP primer. The primer was a handout that is intended to give ILECs beginning the process of LNP to basic road map of where and how to proceed.

Barry also suggested that now that Ohio has a basic implementation plan, it was time to begin to have meetings regarding the actual nuts and bolts of rolling out LNP. To that end, it was agreed that future LNP meetings would be geared toward working out the network/operations details of implementing LNP. We scheduled the first implementation meeting for June 16 at the Commission offices. This will be an all day meeting for the actual network/operations people of each company to begin work. Mr. Potter suggested that he might ask the Commission to stress attendance by all affected ILECs and all NECs.

LLC UPDATE

Roger Marshall updated the workshop on the status of the LLC and the written agreement. Still only six companies have joined the LLC (Ameritech, AT&T, TCG, MCI, Sprint, and LDDS/Worldcom). The original agreement written only for Illinois has now been modified to represent a regional LLC. The LLC will be the organization responsible for detailing how Lockheed-Martin (this regions NPAC) will operate in the region. Only members of the LLC will have any official word or control in the managing the NPAC. The agreement is complete such that the LLC is now seeking the avenues it must travel to get approval (if such is necessary) from the individual state commissions.

Mr. Potter informed the workshop that the Commission is concerned with the poor regional participation by the Ohio specific companies. He suggested that the Commission would likely review the LLC agreement informally and perhaps send out a letter to all carriers informing them once again that this is the LLC agreement that would directly affect them and how they deal with LNP and perhaps offering a final opportunity to comment or participate in the workshop.

Mr. Potter suggested that it was likely that soon the Commission would have a formal process to approve of the LNP implementation that was designed in the workshop (as order by 95-845-TP-COI).

DATES TO REMEMBER

May 8, 1997 Regional LLC meeting in Chicago, AT&T Building, W. Monroe

May 13, 1997 Regional Operations Committee Meeting in Chicago, Holiday Inn, 350 Orleans

May 22, 1997 ICC LNP/Number Conservation Meeting at the ICC Offices in Chicago

June 16, 1997 Ohio LNP Workshop (Details of Implementation) at the PUCO Offices

June 18, 1997 NANC, LNP meeting in Washington, D.C.

July 15, 1997 Deadline for NEC switch disputes in Cleveland and Cincinnati MSAs