WASHINGTON-The paging industry urged the Federal Communications Commission last week to reject SBC Communications Inc.’s application to enter the long distance market, citing failure of the regional Bell telephone company to comply with interconnection obligations mandated by the 1996 telecom act.
“Certain local exchange carriers are defying the long-standing mutual compensation policies of the commission,” said Jay Kitchen, president of the Personal Communications Industry Association.
PCIA said the law requires landline telephone firms to compensate commercial wireless carriers for terminating telco traffic, but prohibits local exchange companies from charging paging and mobile telephone operators for terminationg traffic initiated by wirelines.
