FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: March 18, 1999 Emily Hoffnar (202) 418-0253 Report No. CC 99-6 COMMON CARRIER ACTION FCC Adopts Rules to Promote the Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Services (CC Docket No. 98-147) The Commission adopted several measures today to enable competitive providers of advanced services, such as high-speed Internet access, to deploy new technologies on a faster, more cost-effective basis to consumers.This Order is intended to create marketplace conditions conducive to the nationwide deployment of advanced telecommunications services, consistent with the goals of section 706. The Order adopted today facilitates competitors' ability to access space in the incumbent's central office (collocation space). The Commission adopted rules to strengthen collocation requirements and reduce the costs and delays associated with collocation. In particular, the Commission required incumbent LECs to make new collocation arrangements, including cageless and shared collocation, available to competing carriers. New entrants will be able to locate all equipment necessary for interconnection, whether or not such equipment has a switching function. The Commission also established spectrum compatibility rules in order to promote the timely deployment of advanced services without significantly degrading the performance of other services. Because the Commission concluded that the record does not sufficiently address long-term spectral compatibility issues, the Commission adopted a companion Further NPRM that seeks comment on issues related to developing long-term standards and practices for spectrum compatibility and management. In the Further NPRM, the Commission also tentatively concludes that it is technically feasible for two different carriers sharing a single line to provide traditional voice service and advanced services. The Further Notice seeks comment on the operational, pricing, legal and policy ramifications of mandating such line sharing at the federal level. Action by the Commission March 18, 1999 by First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 99-48). Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, Powell and Tristani, with Commissioner Furchtgott-Roth dissenting in part. Commissioners Furchtgott-Roth and Tristani issuing separate statements. -FCC- Common Carrier Bureau contact: Michael Pryor, (202) 418-1580. Executive Summary In the Order adopted today, the Commission takes the following steps: Collocation  Incumbent LECs must make available to requesting competitive LECs shared cage and cageless collocation arrangements. Moreover, when collocation is exhausted at a particular LEC location, incumbent LECs must permit collocation in adjacent controlled environmental vaults or similar structures to the extent technically feasible.  A collocation method used by one incumbent LEC or mandated by a state commission is presumptively technically feasible for any other incumbent LEC.  Incumbent LECs may adopt reasonable security measures to protect their central office equipment.  Incumbent LECs may not require competitive LEC equipment to meet more stringent safety requirements than those the incumbent LEC imposes on its own equipment.  Incumbent LECs must permit competitors to collocate all equipment used for interconnection and/or access to unbundled network elements (UNEs), even if it includes a "switching" or enhanced services function, and incumbent LECs cannot require that the switching or enhanced services functionality of equipment be disengaged.  Incumbent LECs must permit a competitive LEC to tour the entire central office in which that competitive LEC has been denied collocation space. Incumbent LECs must provide a list of all offices in which there is no more space. Incumbent LECs must remove obsolete, unused equipment, in order to facilitate the creation of additional collocation space within a central office.  The collocation rules set forth in the Order serve as minimum standards, and permit any state to adopt additional requirements. Spectrum Compatibility  We adopt certain spectrum compatibility and management rules to allow competitive providers to deploy innovative advanced services technology in a timely manner. Specifically any loop technology that complies with existing industry standards, has been successfully deployed by any carrier without significantly degrading the performance of other services, or has been approved by this Commission, any state commission, or an industry standards body is presumed acceptable for deployment. A LEC may not deny a carrier's request to deploy technology that is presumed acceptable for deployment, unless the LEC demonstrates to the state commission that deployment of the particular technology within the LEC network will significantly degrade the performance of other services.  We also seek comment in the Further NPRM on measures that would facilitate timely development of long-term industry standards and practices on spectrum compatibility and management to facilitate deployment of new and innovative loop technologies. Line Sharing  In the Further NPRM, we tentatively conclude line sharing is technically feasible, and we seek comment on operational, pricing, and policy ramifications to determine whether or not to mandate line sharing nationally.