New York-based Bell Atlantic has asked the Federal Communications Commission for clearance to build a high-speed network for Internet traffic that would not be subject to the regulatory restrictions of voice networks.
The long-distance carrier is using a provision in the 1996 Telecommunications Act - Section 706 - to request that market regulations not be extended to high-speed broadband networks. The law gives the FCC leeway to promote the development of advanced technologies with such concessions. So far, though, the agency hasn't applied it to Internet backbone networks.
If the company's application is accepted, "it would certainly give us more incentive to build backbones faster," said Susan Butta, a Bell Atlantic spokesperson. "The FCC will determine if local business is open enough to let us into long distance. We want Congress to recognize that to get advanced technologies out sooner, traditional regulations shouldn’t apply."
Bell Atlantic, which operates from Maine to Virginia, has asked for a decision within 90 days.
One important piece of the Bell Atlantic filing addresses "interLATA" - inter local access and transport area - clearance. If granted, the company would not be required to use long-distance carriers' lines to link their proposed network across different regions on the East Coast. Other issues in the filing address competitors' access to backbone lines, and pricing for its services.
"There are regulations in place that cover pricing and also requirements to sell pieces of the network to other operators. Those are the ones we seek relief from for this petition," said Butta.
Several Baby Bells have sought FCC clearance to provide long-distance service to their local customers. So far, the commission has rejected every such application.
Bell Atlantic said that its proposed network would help relieve congestion on East Coast networks, which is starting to show in transmission delays and other performance problems. Universities are among those that would benefit from the proposed new network, said Bell Atlantic, and Boston University is among several universities that have signed on in support of proposal.
