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NuVox Sees Significant Benefits From FCCs Decisions

Submitted by: John Warner on Feb 21, 2003 at 6:00 am Tagged with: General Archives Source:

NuVox Sees Significant Benefits From FCC's Decisions

Business Editors

ST. LOUIS, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2003--NuVox Communications, a
rapidly growing, facilities-based broadband services provider, today applauded
the decisions made by the Federal Communications Commission following its
detailed review of its network unbundling rules under the Telecommunications
Act of 1996. While the actual text of the new rules is not yet available, NuVox
believes the FCC's announced decisions embody a balanced approach that
preserves and supports existing competition in business markets and provides
incentives for new investments to make advanced broadband services available
for all consumers.
"NuVox is very pleased with the decisions announced yesterday by the FCC in
its Triennial Review decision," said G. Michael Cassity, president and chief
operating officer of NuVox. "The Commission has favorably addressed a number of
the issues we have forcefully championed in our presentations to the
Commissioners and their staff advisors, issues that are critically important to
the success of NuVox's integrated T-1 serving strategy."
NuVox noted that the FCC's decisions preserve an important role for state
regulators in determining, among other things, whether the competitive
impairment required by the 1996 Act exists in particular communities to the
degree requisite for requiring incumbent carriers to continue to provide
competitive providers in those communities with unbundled access to the
critical transport and "last mile" loop facilities that are the essential
building blocks of facilities-based competition.
Ed Cadieux, NuVox's vice president of regulatory affairs, stated, "We
applaud the FCC's actions announced yesterday in which all of the Commissioners
have agreed that state regulators must continue to play a significant role in
supporting competition in local telecommunications markets."
The FCC's decisions provide continued support for NuVox's facilities-based
serving strategy, including

--
Continued unbundled access at wholesale prices to the high capacity loop
facilities that NuVox uses to provide broadband services to its customers, and
--
Clear directives to the Baby Bells that they cease their anti-competitive
practices of denying competitive carriers unbundled access at wholesale prices
to the loop facilities the incumbent carriers make available to their own
retail customers.

"These decisions indicate that the FCC clearly recognizes the benefits to
consumers of facilities-based competition for voice and broadband services, and
of NuVox's integrated T-1 serving strategy, in particular," stated Cassity.
"The FCC has preserved a regulatory regime that protects existing competition
in business markets, competition that has enabled our business customers to
realize the benefits of NuVox's innovative integrated voice and data products
and services with significant savings in total costs. The new rules also
encourage the Baby Bells to deploy next generation architecture to make their
DSL services available for all consumers. Through its innovative integrated T-1
broadband product offerings, NuVox has brought new broadband products and
services to its business customers at competitive prices, and we look forward
to the Baby Bells delivering on the promises they have made to the FCC to
secure the broadband deregulation contained in the Commission's new rules."
Cadieux added, "While NuVox is pleased for the most part with the FCC's
decisions, we are disappointed that the Commission decided to exempt packetized
data transmission over hybrid fiber/copper facilities from the unbundling
requirements. This will inhibit competition in the provision of these newer,
more advanced technologies, and is inconsistent with the provisions of the 1996
Act which contemplates technology-neutral and non-discriminatory access to
these facilities."

About NuVox Communications

NuVox Communications is the integrated communications provider of choice in
its markets, delivering superior broadband services and customer care to
business customers in 30 markets in 13 Southeast and Midwest states. NuVox
offers businesses and other end-users advanced integrated voice, data and
Internet products and services. NuVox provides dedicated and dial-up high-speed
Internet access; Web page design, development and hosting; "traditional" local,
and long distance telephone services; unified voice, e-mail, and fax messaging
as well as advanced data services. NuVox's growing product portfolio also
includes LAN and WAN management, virtual private networks, audioconferencing
and remote access. NuVox provides its integrated voice and data services to
over 16,000 on-net customers with more than 225,000 on-net access lines in
service. NuVox, Inc. is privately held, and its headquarters are located at
16090 Swingley Ridge Road, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017. The NuVox
Communications Web site URL is www.nuvox.com.

--30--JS/sd*

CONTACT: NuVox Communications, St. Louis
Randy Mcdougald, Vice President - Marketing
864/331-8133
Rmcdougald@Nuvox.Com

KEYWORD: TENNESSEE SOUTH CAROLINA OKLAHOMA OHIO NORTH CAROLINA
MISSOURI KENTUCKY INDIANA ILLINOIS GEORGIA FLORIDA ARKANSAS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS GOVERNMENT
SOURCE: NuVox Communications