SBC Communications and Sage Telecom, the third largest CLEC in SBC territory, reached an historic seven-year commercial agreement for SBC to provide wholesale local phone services to Sage covering all 13 states comprising SBC's local phone territory. The deal is the first to be announced since the FCC's call last week for the industry enter into negotiations to end local access disputes.
The seven-year pact will replace the regulatory mandated UNE-P with a private commercial agreement. Given the proprietary nature of the agreement, most terms were not released, but the average monthly price over the life of the contract is expected to be below $25.00 per line.
SBC said has offered to negotiate comparable terms and conditions with any similarly-situated competitor. http://www.sbc.comhttp://www.sagetelecom.com/main.asp
- In early March, a three-judge panel in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the FCC's Triennial Review Order with regard to network unbundling rules.
- Last week, all five of the FCC Commissioners signed a letter urging the nation's telecommunications carriers and trade associations to begin a period of "good faith" commercial negotiations on UNE-p resale rates.
