ALTS Urges FCC Action Requiring Building Owners To Provide Access to Competitive Telecom Carriers - Association for Local Telecommunications Services - Government Activity

Cambridge Telcom Report, Sept 6, 1999

The Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS) urged immediate action to require the nation's building owners to provide competitive local exchange carriers with fair and equal access to buildings and rooftops in multi-tenant environments. ALTS is the leading national organization representing facilities-based competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs).

"Access to buildings and rooftops remains essential to the rapid development of local telecom competition," said John D. Windhausen, Jr., ALTS President. "CLECs are eager to bring the benefits of choice, innovation, and superior technology to business and residential tenants. Unfortunately, some building owners act as gatekeepers, either denying or delaying access by CLECs."

In comments to the FCC, ALTS observed that restrictions on telecommunications carriers' access to multi-tenant environments are widespread and threaten the development of local competition. Such restrictions are critical because multi-tenant environments are key to the growth of local competition benefiting a wide range of customers.

"Access to multi-tenant buildings is a first step in the development of local competition," said Jonathan Askin, ALTS Vice President -- Law. "Once a CLEC breaks into a market via multi-tenant buildings, that CLEC can readily roll out services to other nearby businesses and residences."

"Thirty percent of residential customers live in apartment buildings," Askin added. "Opening buildings to new technologies will make buildings 'smart' and will promote residential competition."

ALTS said the Communications Act gives the FCC authority to eliminate restrictions on carrier access to multi-tenant environments through exercise of authority over utilities and owners of such buildings.

ALTS proposed that the FCC require universal location of the demarcation point in all multi-tenant buildings at the minimum point of entry, or require that ILECs make available to carriers (as unbundled network elements) the intra-building wiring from building entrance facilities to the demarcation point, and also permit direct CLEC interface with the unbundled ILEC NID (network interface device).

ALTS is the leading national industry association whose mission is to promote facilities-based local telecommunications competition. Located in Washington, D.C., the organization was created in 1987 and represents companies that build, own, and operate competitive local networks. For information on ALTS, contact Jim Crawford at 703-715-0844 or visit the ALTS Web site at http://www.alts.org.