FCC to Probe Aureon Access Tariff; CenturyLink Special-Access Complaint Against Verizon Posted
The FCC suspended and will investigate access charge tariff revisions of Aureon (Iowa Network Access Division) that were to take effect this week. Aureon proposed the revisions to comply with a November order that partially granted an AT&T complaint that…
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Aureon violated rules by charging for "centralized equal access" (CEA) on traffic heading to CLECs engaged in "access stimulation" schemes. That order found Aureon raised its interstate switched access rates without lowering its intrastate access rates, violating rate-cap and rate-parity rules (see 1711080059). Questioning the methodology, AT&T and Sprint then filed petitions to reject Aureon's proposed changes or to suspend and investigate them. "Substantial questions of lawfulness exist regarding how Aureon revised the switched transport rate contained in its proposed tariff revisions," so "we suspend the revisions for one day and set for investigation the question of whether Aureon complied with the Aureon Enforcement Order in revising its switched transport rate," said the Wireline Bureau order in docket 18-60 in Thursday's Daily Digest. Aureon emailed that it “fully anticipated" the agency would suspend its "tariff rate reduction, and is working with the FCC’s staff to find a resolution that ensures that CEA service remains sufficiently viable to continue to make competitive choice and advanced communications services available in rural America.” AT&T and Aureon are engaged in FCC-mediated settlement talks (see 1802230015). Meanwhile, a CenturyLink complaint against Verizon posted this week in docket 18-33 alleges Verizon didn't abide by a special-access discount arrangement and "chronically overcharged CenturyLink" through miscalculations: Verizon "did so despite being repeatedly informed of its errors" and further "systematically frustrated CenturyLink's ability to dispute Verizon's overcharges." Verizon didn't comment.