38.5.4120    DIALING PARITY PLANS

(1) Local exchange carriers shall file their toll dialing parity plans carrying out the intraLATA equal access presubscription implementation rules set forth in ARM 38.5.4101 through 38.5.4116. US West Communications, Inc. shall file its implementation plan six months in advance of its expected entry into the interLATA market and no later than August 8, 1998. All other local exchange carriers shall file their implementation plans within 60 days of receiving a bona fide request for intraLATA equal access presubscription or within 60 days of termination of waiver, whichever is later. Interested parties who wish to comment upon a local exchange carrier's toll dialing parity plan shall have a reasonable opportunity to comment on the plan.

(2) The local exchange carrier's toll dialing parity plan must describe how ARM 38.5.4101 through 38.5.4116 will be carried out and include the following:

(a) detailed information explaining how and when carriers will be notified of the local exchange carrier's implementation schedule;

(b) include the language to be used in, and the manner of distribution of, the customer notification letter;

(c) describe the local exchange carrier's anticipated cost of implementation, including the local exchange carrier's specific intraLATA presubscription costs, the vehicle that the local exchange carrier intends to use to recover implementation costs, and the cost recovery time frame; and

(d) describe the proposed incumbent local exchange carrier business office practices and sample scripts that demonstrate how local exchange carrier business office personnel will handle customer-initiated business office contacts with the incumbent local exchange carrier in its role as a local exchange service provider in a competitively neutral manner following implementation.

(3) The implementation plan must provide notice to registered interexchange carriers operating in Montana of the implementation schedule no less than 120 days prior to the actual implementation date. The notice must include the implementation schedule, terms and conditions of participation, and ordering procedures. Following such notification, carriers wishing to participate in the process must respond to the local exchange carrier within 30 days. Only registered telecommunications providers may participate in the implementation.

History: 69-3-103, 69-3-822, MCA; IMP, 69-3-102, 69-3-201, 69-3-834, MCA; NEW, 1998 MAR p. 983, Eff. 4/17/98.