AT&T and Cox Telecom asked the Cal. PUC for oral hearings on a ne...
AT&T and Cox Telecom asked the Cal. PUC for oral hearings on a newly revised proposed decision to fine them for unlawful ex parte communications in a 911 “warm line” complaint case. The carriers said the hearings are needed…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
because the changes to the proposed decision (Case 05-11-011) effectively would widen the scope of PUC ex parte limits. The complaint case, filed last year by consumer group UCAN, alleges the companies violated a mandate that they provide 911 access on installed phone lines even when service otherwise is disconnected. UCAN last June complained that the companies discussed substantive matters relating to the complaint in ex parte contacts with key advisers to PUC members. The PUC in Jan. proposed to fine each firm $40,000 for ex parte contact rule violations. But the PUC last week revised the proposal, reinterpreting its ex parte limits; the change substantially expands ex parte curbs without formal hearings or rulemaking, the carriers said. The expanded rule would put parties and their counsel at ex parte violation risk if they discussed with PUC advisors any generic subjects or issues that happened to be at issue in a complaint case, they said.