[1st-mile-nm] NM PRC Hearing Today

[Richard Lowenberg]

SkyWi getting further disconnections in New Mexico; FCC involvement next?

www.fiercetelecom.com/

02/23/2009

While Qwest may be the first phone company serving New Mexico to pull the plug
on SkyWi and it subsidiaries, it will soon have company. Windstream, Tularosa
Basin Telephone Company, Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative and E.N.M.R.
Telephony Cooperative will shut down SkyWi services on March 9 due to SkyWi's
failure to pay past due bills.

In addition, the Federal Communications Commission may become involved with the
SkyWi saga. Sources tell FierceTelecom that FCC representatives may be present
at the New Mexico Public Regulations Commission (PRC) meeting on Tuesday, Feb.
24, but it is not clear if they will be present in solely an observatory
capacity, or if they may provide additional support to the New Mexico PRC. One
source speculated that the FCC may delegate some of its authority to the state
for number porting in order to expedite the move of telephony numbers from
SkyWi onto other service providers; the FCC supposedly already permits this
under some circumstances, such as "slamming" or "cramming" of phone number and
services.

Another outcome of (the) PRC meeting may be a temporary order to stop Qwest from
terminating services to give customers and service providers more time to
migrate off of SkyWi's network. Having all service providers synchronize their
cut-offs on March 9 may not be what Qwest desires, but it may be in the best
interests of both the PRC and New Mexico businesses and consumers affected by
the situation.


-- 
Richard Lowenberg
1st-Mile Institute
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110;   505-603-5200 cell
rl at 1st-mile.com  www.1st-mile.com

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