The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) has issued a Public Notice announcing it has completed the test it is required to undertake very three years to update the lists of areas that are deemed competitive for the purpose of removing price regulation of business data services (BDS) offered by incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs). WCB found that 15 price-cap counties and 5 rate-of-return study areas that were previously deemed non-competitive now meet the competitive threshold in the agency’s rules. As a result, the relevant ILECs are relieved from ex ante pricing regulation and tariffing obligations in those areas.
