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                            Before the
                 FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                      Washington, D.C.  20554


APCC Services, Inc.,                    )
Data Net Systems, LLC              )
Davel Communications, Inc.              )
Jaroth, Inc. dba Pacific Telemanagement )
Services, and                      )
Intera Communications Corp.,       )
                              )
Complainants,                      )
                              )
     v.                       )    File No. EB-02-MDIC-065
                              )
Verizon Communications, Inc.       )
                              )
Defendant.                         )


                               ORDER

     
       Adopted:  March 25, 2003         Released:  March 27, 2003


By the Deputy Division Chief, Market Disputes Resolution Division, 
Enforcement Bureau:
     1.   On June 28, 2002, APCC Services, Inc., et al. (``APCC'' 
or ``Complainants'') filed an informal complaint 
(``Complaint'')alleging that Verizon Communications, Inc., 
(``Verizon'') is responsible for paying dial around compensation 
for certain types of completed calls carried by its network that 
originated from APCC's payphones.  Pursuant to section 1.718 of the 
Commission's rules,1 the Complainants are required to convert their 
informal complaints into formal complaints within six months of the 
date that the Defendant replies to the informal complaints, or such 
informal complaints will be deemed to be abandoned.  In this case, 
the Complainants were required to convert the informal complaint 
into a formal complaint by March 26, 2003.2
     2.   Since the filing of the Complaint on June 28, 2002, the 
parties have engaged in negotiations to resolve the disputes about 
dial around compensation issues.3  On March 25, 2003, the parties 
filed jointly a Request for Extension of Time to File Complainants' 
Formal Complaint in this matter (``Waiver Request'').  The parties 
seek a waiver of section 1.718 of the Commission's rules, and, in 
particular, request an extension of the deadline for filing a 
formal complaint from March 26, 2003, to April 25, 2003.4  The 
Waiver Request explains that the parties are attempting to resolve 
this dispute without further litigation, and that an extension is 
necessary to continue negotiations and work toward settling this 
matter.5
     3.   We are satisfied that granting the parties' Waiver 
Request will serve the public interest by promoting the private 
resolution of disputes and by postponing the need for further 
litigation and expenditure of further time and resources of the 
parties and of this Commission until such time as may actually be 
necessary.
     4.   Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to sections 4(i), 
4(j), and 208 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 
U.S.C. §§ 154(i), 154(j), and 208, and sections 1.3 and 1.718 of 
the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.3, 1.718, and the authority 
delegated in sections 0.111 and 0.311 of the Commission's rules, 47 
C.F.R. §§ 0.111, 0.311, that the Request for Extension of Time to 
File Complainants' Formal Complaint IS GRANTED.
     5.   IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, unless otherwise extended by 
order, the deadlines that would otherwise apply under section 1.718 
of our rules, 47 C.F.R. § 1.718, are hereby waived, and the date 
that APCC Services, Inc., et al. must convert their informal 
complaint against Verizon Communications, Inc., to a formal 
complaint pursuant to section 1.718 of our rules, 47 C.F.R. § 
1.718, is extended to April 25, 2003.

                         FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION



                         
                         Radhika V. Karmarkar
                         Deputy Chief, Market Disputes Resolution 
                    Division
                         Enforcement Bureau
_________________________

1         47 C.F.R. § 1.718.
2         Pursuant to 47 C.F.R. § 1.718, Complainants have six  (6) 
months to file a  formal complaint after  the Defendant replies  to 
the informal complaint, if the  formal complaint is to relate  back 
to the  filing  date of  the  informal complaint.   In  this  case, 
Defendant filed a response to the Complaint on September 26,  2002.  
Accordingly, Complainants were originally  required to convert  the 
informal complaint into a formal complaint by March 26, 2003.

3         Letter from Gregory D. Kwan, Attorney for Complainants, 
and Cecelia Roudiez, Attorney for Verizon, to Jonathan Reel, 
Attorney, Market Disputes Resolution Division, Enforcement Bureau, 
FCC, File No. EB-02-MD-065 (Mar. 25, 2003) (Joint Request). 
4         Joint Request at 1. 
5         Id. at 2.