FCC Decision Fosters Innovation and Job Creation
Portland, Ore. – June 22, 2010 – Integra Telecom Inc., a telecommunications provider for businesses and carriers, released the following statement by CEO Dudley Slater in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) denial of Qwest’s petition for forbearance in Arizona:
“Integra Telecom applauds the FCC’s denial of Qwest’s petition to eliminate rules requiring that Qwest make its legacy last-mile facilities available to smaller competitors in Phoenix, Ariz. These rules enable competitors like Integra to invest in new products and services and to create new jobs in the telecommunications sector. In addition, if the FCC had granted Qwest’s petition, businesses and consumers in the Phoenix metropolitan area would have lost many of the benefits that they enjoy today and that result from competition for telephone and Internet access services.
“Integra serves thousands of business customers in the Phoenix market and has invested millions of dollars in building its network in Arizona. For the foreseeable future, however, we will still require access to the incumbent carrier’s last-mile facilities to reach the majority of our customers. Today’s decision means that we may still lease those facilities at cost-based rates set by the Arizona Corporation Commission rather than at monopoly prices set by the incumbent carrier.
“The result will be more investment in services for small and medium businesses and more job creation in the competitive telecommunications sector. We are grateful to the FCC for its thoughtful analysis and to the Arizona Corporation Commission for conducting an exacting fact-gathering effort to provide critical data on the state of competition in the markets it oversees.”
Integra Telecom provides voice and data services to businesses in 11 Western states, nine in which Qwest operates. All Integra Telecom service areas are supported by locally based customer care representatives and technicians.
About Integra Telecom
Integra Telecom Inc. provides integrated communications services across 33 metropolitan areas in 11 Western states, including: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Washington. It owns and operates a best-in-class fiber-optic network comprised of more than 2,800 route miles in 11 metropolitan access networks including approximately 1,386 on-net buildings, a world class Internet and data network, and an approximately 4,900-mile high-speed long-haul fiber network. The company has earned some of the highest customer loyalty and customer satisfaction ratings in the telecommunications industry. Primary equity investors in the company include Goldman, Sachs & Co., Tennenbaum Capital Partners, funds managed by Farallon Capital Partners and Warburg Pincus. Integra Telecom and Electric Lightwave are registered trademarks of Integra Telecom, Inc. For more information, visit: www.integratelecom.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS
John Nee
503-453-8084
john.nee@integratelecom.com
Shannon Riggs
503-546-7885
shannon@lanepr.com
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