Windstream, USTelecom Reach Telecom Unbundling Compromise; Is UNE Era Set to End?

Windstream and USTelecom have reached a compromise agreement involving telecommunication unbundling that would offer an alternative to a filing made by USTelecom back in May. The agreement requires Federal Communications Commission approval, but generally the FCC looks favorably upon agreements that opposing telecom stakeholders have been able to negotiate without FCC involvement. Windstream is both a buyer and seller of unbundled network elements (UNEs). The company sells UNEs in its local service territory and buys them in areas outside that footprint to support services that it sells to its enterprise customers. The company likely had more to lose from USTelecom’s May unbundling proposal than it had to gain, however.