FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2001   WWW.USDOJ.GOV/ATR

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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ADVISES FCC ON VERIZON'S PENDING APPLICATION TO PROVIDE LONG DISTANCE SERVICES IN CONNECTICUT Department Does Not Oppose Verizon Providing Long Distance Services in Connecticut WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice today advised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it does not oppose the pending application of Verizon, formerly known as Bell Atlantic, to provide long distance services in Connecticut. The Department based its decision on several factors unique to this application: Verizon is the incumbent local exchange carrier in Connecticut only in two small communities--Greenwich and Byram--that adjoin Verizon's New York service area; Verizon serves competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) operating in these two communities using its New York-based systems and operations that were reviewed by the FCC in December 1999, when Verizon's Section 271 application was approved for New York; and Verizon provides CLECs operating in Connecticut with access to the same unbundled network elements at the same rates that Verizon offers in New York. In addition, Verizon has committed to implement in Connecticut the outcomes of many continuing and future local competition proceedings pertaining to its operations in New York. The Department provided its competitive analysis today in an evaluation of Verizon's application under Section 271 of the Telecommunications Act for authorization to provide long distance services in Connecticut. Since the break-up of the integrated Bell system as part of the AT&T divestiture, the independent Bell Operating Companies, or BOCs, have been barred from providing long distance services in their respective regions, first as part of the divestiture decree, and now under the terms of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Under Section 271 of the Act, a BOC, such as Verizon, may not provide in-region long distance services until it demonstrates to the FCC that it has met a variety of legal requirements designed to open the local telephone markets in a particular state to competition. In considering whether to approve a BOC's application for long distance authority in a particular state, the FCC must consult with the Department of Justice and give "substantial weight" to its assessment of competitive conditions in a market and whether the BOC should be allowed to provide in-region long distance service. Verizon filed its application with the FCC on April 23, 2001. Under the terms of the Act, the FCC must approve or deny the application within 90 days. A copy of the Department's evaluation will be available at: http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/comments/sec271/sec271.htm ### 01-235