JfiH tl I 02 PM '01 BEFORE THE ARKANSAS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF SOUTHWESTERN BELL 1 FILED TELEPHONE, L.P.'S PETITION TO INITIATE 1 A RULEMAKING TO ADOPT THE REQUIRE- 1 MENTS FOR DESIGNATION AS AN ) DOCKET NO. 06-050-R ELIGIBLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER ) SET FORTH IN 47 C.F.R. 5554.201 (d), (e}, (f), 1 (g), (h), AND (i),54.202 AND 54.209 1

SUPPLEMENTAL COMMENTS OF SOUTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE, L.P.

Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P. d/b/a AT8T Arkansas ("AT&T Arkansas") hereby submits its Supplemental Comments as permitted by Order No. 5.

In its Response to Petition and Notice of Participation, the General Staff ("Staff") recommended that the Commission issue a declaratory order "stating that, in addition to the applicable state and federal statutory requirements, the Commission will apply the current FCC Rules governing ETC designation in evaluating all prospective requests for designation of €TCs for FUSF support" rather than to engage in formal rulemaking.

Staff Response, p. 2. While continuing to advocate that the adoption of a formal rule incorporating the FCC's enhanced ETC eligibility criteria adopted in the ETC Eligibility

Order was preferable to the issuance of a declaratory order and implementation through

--ad hoc determinations in contested cases, AT&T Arkansas indicated in its Comments and Reply Comments submitted in response to Order No. 3 that the Staff's approach had merit and that it was willing to accept the less formal approach recommended by

Staff. AT&T Arkansas Comments, pp. 6-7;AT&T Arkansas Reply Comments, pp. 5-6.

AT&T Arkansas did not, however, explain in any detail how it perceives the Staff's approach would actuaIly work in practice and this supplement is intended to do so.

1 In the ETC Eligibility Order, the FCC adopted enhanced ETC eligibility criteria which, taken together, define and establish what is required to demonstrate that an applicant's request for federal ETC status is consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity under 47 U.S.C. 5214(e). Therefore, if the Cornmission chooses to adopt Staff's use of a declaratory order rather than engage in formal rulemaking, it should treat the FCC's enhanced ETC eligibility criteria as aspects of the public interest, convenience and necessity. All current and prospective applicants for federal ETC status should be advised in the declaratory order that their applications or petitions should address the FCC's enhanced ETC eligibility criteria and should demonstrate how they will meet and comply with these criteria as part of their public interest showing. If a particular criterion or requirement is inapplicable or the applicant is incapable of complying with the criterion, the applicant should be required to make a showing in support of its position why the ETC eligibility criterion should not be applied to it and considered by the Commission in determining the public interest, convenience and necessity. The rulings of the Commission on these issues on an ad hoc basis in future contested cases will provide Arkansas telecommunications providers with further guidance on whether their requests meet the requirements of the pubIic interest, convenience and necessity.

In sum, if the Commission chooses not to engage in formal rulemaking but rather decides to adopt Staff's less formal approach, it need not adopt the FCC's enhanced ETC eligibility criteria as substantive requirements. Rather, it could treat the

FCC's enhanced ETC eligibility criteria as aspects of the public interest, convenience

2 and necessity and mandate that all current and future applicants seeking designation as federal ETCs address these criteria in their applications or petitions.

Respectfully submitted,

Cynthia A. Barton, AR BIN 78185 Larry E. Jones, AR BIN 20051 I i Attorneys for Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P. d/b/a AT&T Arkansas i I I i West Capitol Avenue, Room 1005 Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 (5011 373-5676(telephone) (50i ) 373-3032(facsimile)

wy-Larry E. Jon s

And

WRIGHT, BERRY, HUGHES & MOORE Attorneys at Law 303 Professional Park Drive P. 0. Drawer 947 Arkadelphia, AR 71 923 (870)246-6796 - Telephone (870)246-2178 - Fax Travis R, Berry, AR BIN 83021 H. Edward Skinner, AR BIN 81 145 Attorneys for Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P. d/b/a AT&T Arkansas

3 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 4 I hereby certify that on the 9 day of June, 2007, a copy of the above and foregoing Supplemental Comments was served on all parties on the attached official party service list via United States mail, postage prepaid.

ILarry E. Jones

4 Stephen 8. RoweII Randy McCasIin Shawn McMurray ALLTEL Communications, Inc. Arkansas Telephone Company, Inc. Attorney General of Arkansas One Allied Dr. B5F11 P.O. Box 69 323 Center Street, Suite 200 P. 0.Box 2177 Clinton, AR 72031 Little Rock, AR 72201 Little Rock, AR 72203-2177 Ted Hankins Lawrence E. Chisenhall, Jr. David Eagin CenturyTel of Arkansas, Inc. CenturyTel of Northwest AR, LLC Cleveland County Telephone Co. 100 CenturyTel Drive 2840 Regions Center P.O. Box 220 P.O. Box 4065 400 West Capitol Choctaw, OK 73020 Monroe, IA 71203 Little Rock, AR 72201 John Zeiler J. Mark Davis Lisa May Decatur Telephone Company E. Ritter Telephone Company, Inc. Madison County Telephone, Inc. P.O. Box220 200 West Capitol P. 0. Drawer D Choctaw, OK 73020 Suite 2300 Huntsville, AR 72740 Little Rock, AR 72201-3699 H. D. Stone Kenneth Sutton Mark Stodola Magazine Telephone Co., Inc. Mountain View Telephone Co. New CinguIar Wireless PCS P. 0. Box 596 218 East Main Street Catlett & Stodola, PLC Magazine, AR 72943 P.O. Box 70 323 Center Street, Suite 1800 Mountain View, AR 72560 Little Rock, AR 72201 William R. Atkinson George Hopkins Keith Gibson Nextel Partners Northern Arkansas Telephone Co., Inc. Pinnacle Communications 233 Peachtree Center P.O. Box 913 307 Hwy 96 SW Suite 2200 130 W. 2nd Street PO Box 230 Atlanta, GA 30303 Malvern, AR 721 04 Lavaca, AR 72941 Rick Reed Robert C. Pierson Regional Manager-Network Facilities Prairie Grove Telephone Company Rice Belt Telephone Company, Inc. SBC Wireless, LLC P.O. Box 1010 P. 0. Box 388 5565 GIenridge Connector, Ste. 1520 Prairie Grove, AR 72753 228 Kingshighway Atlanta, GA 30342 Weiner, AR 72479-0388 David Wells Bill Hegrnann William R. Atkinson South Arkansas Telephone Co. Southwest Arkansas Telephone Coop. Sprint Communications Co., LP P.O. Box 778 2601 East Street 233 Peachtree Center Hampton, AR 71744 Texarkana, AR 71 854-8073 Suite 2200 Atlanta, GA 30303 William R. Atkinson N.M. Norton Stephen Cuff man Sprint Spectrum L.P. Tri-County Telephone Company, Inc. Gill, Elrod, Ragon, Owen, Skinner & 233 Peachtree Center 200 West Capitol Avenue Sherman Suite 2200 Suite 2300 425 Capitol Ave, Ste. 3801 Atlanta, GA 30303 Little Rock, AR 72201-3699 Little Rock, AR 72201 William Stuckey Vance Judd Kimberly K. Bennett Vantage Telecom, LLC Walnut Hill Telephone Company Windstream Arkansas, Inc. 310 Towson Avenue P. 0.729 4001 Rodney Parham Rd. Fort Smith. AR 72901 Lewisville, AR 71 845-0729 Mailstop 1170-B1 F03-53A Little Rock, AR 72212 Lang Zimmerman J. T. Meister Paul Ward Yelcot Telephone Company Windstream Arkansas, Inc. APSC General Staff P.O. Box 1970 4001 Rodney Parham Rd. P.O. Box 400 Mountain Home, AR 72654-1970 Mailstop 1170-81 F03-53A Little Rock, AR 72203-0400 Little Rock, AR 72212