The FCC has adopted an order and declaratory ruling granting the Minnesota Independent Equal Access Corporation’s (MIEAC) petition for relief from dominant carrier regulation with respect to its provision of centralized equal access (CEA) service. The FCC has found that dominant carrier regulation of MIEAC’s CEA service is no longer necessary to serve the public interest due to a significant decline in demand in recent decades for CEA service, intervening exchange access service regulatory reforms, and technological changes in the voice services marketplace. The Commission has granted MIEAC’s petition on the condition that it comply with FCC rules applicable to nondominant carriers going forward. MIEAC has been reclassified as a non-dominant carrier for its CEA service and is now subject to tariff and pricing requirements for such carriers.
