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PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
February 21; 9:30 A.M.
State Capitol Building, Cactus Conference Room
Pierre, South Dakota
NOTE: If you wish to join this meeting by conference call, please contact the Commission at 605-773- 3201 by 5:00 p.m., February 20, 1997.
NOTE: Notice is further given to persons with disabilities that this Commission meeting is being held in a physically accessible place. If you have special needs, please notify the Commission and we will make all necessary arrangements.
AGENDA OF THE AD HOC COMMISSION MEETING
Telecommunications
On September 6, 1996, the Public Utilities Commission (Commission) received a Petition for Arbitration from Western Wireless Corporation, d/b/a Cellular One (Western Wireless). Western Wireless petitioned the Commission, pursuant to Section 252(b)(1) of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 (federal Act), to arbitrate open issues related to its interconnection negotiations with U S WEST Communications, Inc. (U S WEST).
On October 1, 1996, the Commission received the Response of U S WEST to Western Wireless' Petition for Arbitration which included a Motion to Dismiss that portion of Western Wireless' Petition for Arbitration that sought to use the FCC's proxy rates during the course of the arbitration while new interconnection rates were being established. The Commission directed the parties to file prefiled testimony along with a list of resolved and unresolved issues on or before October 28, 1996. The South Dakota Independent Telephone Coalition (SDITC) filed a Petition to Intervene on September 20, 1996, which the Commission denied due to SDITC's inability to show tha pecuniary interests would be directly and immediately affected by the Commission's order in this matter. A hearing was held on November 26, 1996. A December 20, 1996, meeting, the Commission orally issued its decision on the unresolved issues.
On January 23, 1997, Western Wireless Corporation and U S WEST Communications, Inc. submitted copies of the contract entered into between the parties. On January 23, 1997, the Commission electronically transmitted notice that persons wishing to comment on the parties' request for approval could do so by filing written comments with the Commission and the parties to the agreement no later than 5 business days after the agreement was submitted to the Commission. It further noticed parties to the agreement that they could file written responses to the comments within 5 business days of service. It also noticed that the Commission would enter an order approving or rejecting the agreement within 30 days after submission of the agreement by the parties. No comments were filed with the Commission.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the interconnection contract between Western Wireless and U S WEST?
William Bullard Jr.
Executive Director
February 20, 1997
