Summary and Conclusions

I have set forth what I believe are the key telecommunications policy issues from an interexchange carrier perspective. The issues include
  1. the possibility of inappropriate government actions relating to technology choices,
  2. the potential for premature lifting of the MFJ restriction on the Bell Operating Company provision of interexchange, interLATA services,
  3. the fragmented jurisdiction over telecommunications in the United States,
  4. the recent successful challenge to the authority of the FCC to deregulate, and,
  5. the pricing and other terms and conditions associated with accessing the local exchange network.
Not surprisingly, the most important of these issues are associated with the remaining monopoly power of the local exchange carriers and, in particular, of the BOCs.

I would like to conclude by stating that if all the legal barriers to local exchange competition are lifted, if full unbundling is accomplished either voluntarily or by regulatory action, and if good progress toward reasonable, cost-based access is made, then I would feel much more comfortable with the relaxation of current business restrictions imposed upon the BOCs and with the deregulation of the local exchange carriers more generally.