The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has issued an order granting in part, and subject to certain conditions, four petitions for waiver of the FCC’s intercarrier compensation (ICC) recovery rules. Pursuant to the order, each group of petitioners will be able to include in their eligible recovery calculations certain ICC revenues that they were unable to collect from carrier customer Halo Wireless, Inc. (Halo), due to Halo’s access charge avoidance scheme and subsequent bankruptcy. This relief follows prior waivers granted to other carriers relating to Halo’s access charge avoidance scheme.
Each petitioner must make five certifications prior to receiving the granted relief. The following incumbent local exchange carriers received a waiver to include the following amounts in their ICC calculations:
– FairPoint Communications, Inc. seeks to add $124,531.06;
– Blountsville Telephone LLC, Brindlee Mountain Telephone LLC, Hopper Telecommunications LLC, Otelco Telephone LLC, and Pine Belt Telephone Company, Inc. (the Alabama LECs) jointly seek to include $72,437.86;
– Brantley Telephone Company, Inc., Pembroke Telephone Company, Inc., Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc., Public Service Telephone Company, and Waverly Hall Telephone Company, LLC (the Georgia LECs) jointly seek to include $121,773.59; and
– Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc., PBT Telecom, Inc., Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc., and Piedmont Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (the South Carolina LECs) jointly seek to include $128,826.63.
