FCC to rule on Verizon forbearance

FCC TO RULE ON VERIZON FORBEARANCE
[SOURCE: Pittsburg Tribune-Review, AUTHOR: Kim Leonard]
Telephone companies that have to lease parts of Verizon's network to do business are awaiting a Federal Communications Commission decision by Wednesday that could determine their future in the market. Verizon Communications Corp. wants the FCC to drop a requirement that the company provide access to some of its lines in Pittsburgh and five other cities to other telecommunications companies at government-capped rates. Those much smaller competitors are worried that Verizon will shut them off from its telephone network, or raise rates so high that they'll be forced to pull up stakes or downsize. That could result in fewer choices for thousands of consumers and small businesses, and raise their costs by $177 million a year, according to one study. Rep. Mike Doyle's office has "heard some favorable things," meaning the decision could go against New York-based Verizon.
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