Wireline Competition Bureau 445 12th St., SW Washington, DC  20554 Tel (202) 418-1500 Fax (202) 418-2825 TTY (202) 418-0484

The Wireline Competition Bureau develops and recommends policy goals, objectives, programs and plans for the Commission on matters concerning wireline telecommunications. The Wireline Competition Bureau’s overall objectives include: ensuring choice, opportunity, and fairness in the development of wireline telecommunications services and markets; developing deregulatory initiatives; promoting economically efficient investment in wireline telecommunications infrastructure; promoting the development and widespread availability of wireline telecommunications services; and fostering economic growth. The Bureau is organized into four divisions and an Administrative and Management Office.

HEADLINES

08/20/2009
Commission Seeks Targeted Comments on Defining Broadband.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/20/2009
WCB Extends the Comment Dates on Qwest Corporation's Petition for Forbearance in the Phoenix, Arizona MSA.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/20/2009
WCB Seeks Comment on Remands of Verizon 6 MSA Forbearance Order and Qwest 4 MSA Forbearance Order.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/17/2009
WCB Addresses Global Crossing’s Requests for Review of USAC Audit and Invoices.
Order: Word | PDF | Text

08/13/2009
WCB grants a request by TeleQuality Communications, Inc. to waive section 54.611 of the Commission’s rules concerning reimbursement for services provided under the universal service rural health care support mechanism.
Order: Word | PDF | Text

08/13/2009
WCB extends the temporary assignment of three toll free numbers to SAMHSA for an additional 2 months (until October 14, 2009).
Order: Word | PDF | Text

08/13/2009
FCC Releases New Telephone Subscribership Report. The report presents subscribership statistics based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Census Bureau in March 2009.
News Release: Word | PDF | Text
Report: PDF | Text

08/12/2009
WCB Allows Two Rural Health Care Pilot Program Participants to Merge Projects: The Juniata Valley Network (JVN) and Pennsylvania Mountains Healthcare Alliance and its designated agent, Pennsylvania Mountains Healthcare Resource Development (collectively PMHA).
Order: Word | PDF | Text

08/11/2009
Comment Sought on Frontier Communications Corporation and Verizon Communications Inc. Applications for Assignment or Transfer of Control.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/11/2009
Comment Sought on Petition of Sorenson Communications Inc. for Declaratory Ruling or Limited Waiver.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/11/2009
Comment Sought on OLS, Inc. and TeleUno, Inc. Petition (Dkt No. 09-28). Comment Due 9/1/2009. Reply Comments Due 9/15/2009.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/11/2009
Clarification Regarding the Use of Toll Free Numbers For Internet-Based Telecommunications Relay Services.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/10/2009
Comment Sought On Securus Technologies, Inc. Petition for Declaratory Ruling (Dkt No 09-144). Comments Due: 08/31/2009. Reply Comments Due 09/10/2009.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/10/2009
Deadline for Annual Lifeline Verification Surveys and Certifications.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/07/2009
FCC Begins Sixth Section 706 Broadband Deployment Inquiry
News Release: Word | PDF | Text
Notice of Inquiry: Word | PDF | Text
Genachowski Statement: Word | PDF | Text
Copps Statement: Word | PDF | Text
McDowell Statement: Word | PDF | Text

08/06/2009
WCB seeks comment on Telcordia Petition.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

08/06/2009
FCC Releases Telephone Penetration by Income Report
News Release: Word | PDF | Text
Report: PDF | Text

08/05/2009
WCB issues an Erratum correcting Report and Order, FCC 09-56, released on June 29, 2009.
Erratum: Word | PDF | Text

08/05/2009
WCB Grants the Motion for Extension of Time filed by the National Exchange Carrier Association.
Order: Word | PDF | Text

08/03/2009
Form 477 Electronic Filing System Now Available for the September 1, 2009 Filing.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

07/31/2009
WCB Announces $900 Million in Prior Unused E-rate Funds to Be Carried Forward to Increase Disbursements to Schools and Libraries in Funding Year 2009 .
Order: Word | PDF | Text

07/31/2009
WCB Allows Four Rural Health Care Pilot Program Participants to Merge Projects: The North Carolina TeleHealth Network, Albemarle Health, Western Carolina University, and University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina.
Order: Word | PDF | Text

07/29/2009
Wireline Competition Bureau Releases State-Specific list of FCC form 477 Broadband Filers.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

07/29/2009
Pleading Cycle Established for Comments on Qwest Corporation's Petition for Forbearance in the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text
First Protective Order: Word | PDF | Text
Second Protective Order: Word | PDF | Text

07/28/2009
Pleading Cycle Established for Comments on Petition of Utex Communications Corporation for Preemption of the Jurisdiction of the Public Utility of Commission of Texas Pursuant to Section of 252(e)(5) of the Communications Act
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

07/27/2009
Comments Sought on Petition for Declaratory Ruling of Sandwich Isles Communications, Inc.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

07/24/2009
Dates Established for Comment on Providing Eligible Entities Access to Aggregate Form 477 Data as Required by the Broadband Data Improvement Act.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

07/23/2009
WCB Issues an Erratum correcting a Public Notice, DA 09-1550 released July 17, 2009.
Public Notice: Word | PDF | Text

07/23/2009
Federal Communications Commission Releases Final Data on High-Speed Services Collected Under the Previous Form 477 Framework
News Release: Word | PDF | Text
Report: PDF | Text

07/23/2009
Federal Communications Commission Releases Data on Local Telephone Competition
News Release: Word | PDF | Text
Report: PDF | Text

Headline Archives:

2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 top of page

The Bureau's Divisions

• The Administrative and Management Office oversees the direction of all Bureau-wide management and administrative programs.

• The Competition Policy Division’s primary mission is to foster competition in the provision of telecommunications services through market-opening rulemaking and adjudicatory proceedings affecting wireline telecommunications service providers. The division also administers numbering resources.

• The Pricing Policy Division administers the provisions of the Communications Act requiring that the charges, practices, classifications, and regulations of communications common carriers providing interstate and foreign services are just and reasonable.

• The Telecommunications Access Policy Division’s primary mission is to advance the goals of universal service that all consumers in the Nation have access to quality telecommunications and information services at affordable rates.

• The Industry Analysis and Technology Division provides economic, financial, and technical analyses of telecommunications markets to the Bureau, and the Commission.