Michigan Requires Dialing Parity

The Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) has directed telecommunications local exchange carriers (LECs) to begin converting facilities to provide intraLATA dialing parity. An earlier PSC order found that the capability of dialing a single digit to initiate an intraLATA long-distance call necessary for effective competition, whether the service is provided by an LEC or an interexchange carrier (IXC). The PSC had delayed implementation, however, until LECs are permitted under federal

law to provide interLATA toll service, or until January 1, 1996.

With the final deadline approaching, the PSC rejected proposals to delay implementation and directed the LECs to begin work on their conversion schedules. It also concluded that the LECs should recover the conversion costs through a monthly, per-line "equal-access recovery charge" assessed on both IXCs and the state's primary LECs. MCI Telecommunications Corp. v. Ameritech Michigan et al., Case No.

U-10138, Mar. 10, 1995 (Mich.P.S.C.). t

Phillip S. Cross is an associate legal editor of PUBLIC UTILITIES FORTNIGHTLY.

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