Verizon sues Sprint Nextel over ongoing interconnection squabble

Verizon Communications Inc. has sued Sprint Nextel Corp. in Delaware federal court, accusing the No. 3 mobile-phone operator of failing pay nearly $10 million in interconnection charges.
“Verizon has repeatedly attempted to resolve this dispute short of litigation,” the suit stated. “Yet these attempts, made over many months and through both written and personal communications, have been fruitless. Accordingly, Verizon has been forced to seek relief from this court.”
Verizon said the money owed by Sprint Nextel is for services in mostly eastern states that are subject to tariffs filed with the Federal Communications Commission.
“Because Verizon’s claims in this matter are running up against a two-year statute of limitations, this complaint comes as no surprise — this is simply a standard legal maneuver by Verizon to preserve their legal claim against us,” said John Taylor, a Sprint Nextel spokesman. “We remain hopeful that we can resolve this matter without any further legal action by either party.”
While on the receiving end of the suit, Sprint Nextel is mounting a major effort at the FCC to ensure AT&T Inc. is not allowed to stray from an interconnection condition to which it agreed as a prerequisite to gaining approval of its merger with BellSouth Corp. in late 2006. Wireless carriers and other communications companies have sided with Sprint Nextel. AT&T asserts Sprint Nextel and others are misinterpreting the merger commitment and federal telecom regulations.