Roger Clark Swann <clark@ssc-vax.boeing.com> (09/29/90)
From TELEPHONY / AUGUST 20, 1990
New FCC Wiring Rules Take Effect
Charles Mason, Washington Editor
The Federal Communications Commission rejected petitions to delay the
implementation of new inside wiring rules last week, allowing the
agency's revisions to take effect on schedule.
Those revisions liberalize how customers may connect inside wiring
and how far inside a customer's premises a telco may set the point of
demarcation between its wiring and the subscriber's.
The Bell regional holding companies, the U.S. Telephone Association
and others had asked for a delay of the rules to work out several
issues. The petitioners argued that they could not comply with the new
regulations by the Aug. 13 implementation date and that rule revisions
could end up harming the network.
In rejecting these arguments, the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau said
there was no evidence of danger to the network and that there were
provisions for making a transition to the new rules. Telcos, for
example, would not have to immediately notify customers of the changes
but could do so over a period of time as part of their "ongoing
consumer education efforts," the bureau said.
A major provision of the revised rules requires that the
demarcation point between the telco side of the wiring and the
customer's side be no more than 12 inches from where the wiring enters
the property. The FCC found that the demarcation point sometimes was
well inside a customer's premises, frustrat- ing consumer's ability to
efficiently connect inside wiring since they are not allowed to
connect wiring on the telco side.
However, the FCC order did not end the controversy. Nynex, filed a
petition asking for further clarification on the 12 inch rule and
requested that the FCC take a second look at other areas. It is still
unclear how telcos are supposed to deal with the demarcation issue in
conplex wiring arrangements, Nynex said.
Also, last week, the FCC approved a New York Telephone tariff for
discounts on digital data and high-capacity services, rebuffing
attempts by Metropolitan Fiber Systems and Teleport Communications
Group to have the proposal rejected. New York Tel plans to offer
discounted rates for voice-grade and provate-line service. Both MFS
and Teleport complete with New York Tel to provide access services to
large customers in New York City.
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Roger Swann | uucp: uw-beaver!ssc-vax!clark
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The Boeing Company |