DA 95-1530

                        PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED
                 FOR COMMENTS ON AMERITECH'S PLAN FOR  
                  COMPARABLY EFFICIENT INTERCONNECTION 
                       TO MESSAGE DELIVERY SERVICE

                                   Released:  July 10, 1995  
     
     On June 30, 1995, Ameritech filed a plan to provide comparably
efficient interconnection (CEI) to vendors of Message Delivery
Service (MDS).  Ameritech states that MDS will use a message
delivery platform that enables subscribers to create, record, and
store voice messages when they encounter a busy or no answer
condition on outbound calls.  In addition to MDS, Ameritech plans
to provide additional functions such as Customized Delivery,
Recipient Reply Option, Conformation Receipt Option, and Message
Administration.  Ameritech states that all of the features
delivered by MDS will use underlying basic network services at the
same rates, and on the same terms and conditions. as those services
available to providers of competing services. 

     Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit partially remanded to the Commission the BOC Safeguards
Order.  In response to this decision, the Common Carrier Bureau
issued an order permitting the BOCs to continue, pending further
proceedings,  to provide existing enhanced services pursuant to
approved CEI plans and requiring them to file CEI plans for any new
enhanced services that they intend to provide.  (See In the Matter
of Bell Operating Companies' Joint Petition for Waiver of Computer
II Rules, DA 95-36 (Comm. Car. Bur. released Jan. 11, 1995). 
Pursuant to that decision, Ameritech requests approval of its CEI
plan to offer, on a structurally unseparated basis, MDS. 

          In its filing, Ameritech describes how it will satisfy
the Commission's CEI parameters, and states that it will account
for the joint and common costs of the services pursuant to its cost
allocation manual.   Ameritech also describes its plans for
complying with the other Computer III nonstructural safeguards
governing the use of customer proprietary network information,
nondiscrimination reporting, and disclosure of network information. 


          Interested parties should file comments on this plan by
July 31, 1995, and reply comments by August 10, 1995, with the
Secretary, FCC, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.  20554.  A
copy should also be sent to Peggy Reitzel, Common Carrier Bureau,
FCC, Room 544, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington,D.C. 20554, and to
the Commission's contractor for public service records duplication: 
ITS, Inc., 2100 M Street, N.W., Suite 140, Washington, D.C.  20037. 
Copies of the plan  can be obtained from ITS at (202) 857-3800. 
       
          We will treat this proceeding as non-restricted for
purposes of the Commission's ex parte rules.  See generally 47
C.F.R.  1.1200-1.1216.  For further information contact Peggy
Reitzel, Policy and Program Planning Division of the Common Carrier
Bureau, at (202) 418-1579.
                                - FCC -