AT&T Urges FCC To OK Bid To Halt Certain Operator Services Despite Handful of Concerns

AT&T said the FCC should approve its request to discontinue certain operator services despite concerns expressed by a few consumers and two local public safety officials in Washington state. "None of the comments filed demonstrate that the public convenience and necessity will be impaired as a result of AT&T’s discontinuance of these services," the telco said in reply comments posted Tuesday in docket 16-13. AT&T said it was seeking to discontinue operator-assisted "collect calling, person-to-person calling, billed to third party, busy line verification, busy line interrupt and international directory assistance." The 13 comments filed in response "were concerned with the continued availability of busy line verification/interrupt (BLV/I), collect calling and international directory assistance," said the telco, which said it wrote all the commenters to explain "its reasons for discontinuing these services, and provided information on the alternative services, resources or applications that are available." AT&T acknowledged there didn't appear to be a legacy TDM-based voice replacement for the BLV/I service, which eight commenters said was of particular concern for emergency personnel, but it said "the market indicates that there is no need for a replacement service." New products and services "have rendered BLV/I services unnecessary and obsolete" because customers are using modern technologies that notify them when someone is trying to call them or a line is in use, the telco said. The company plans to discontinue the services to retail customers after March 18 and to wholesale customers June 4, it said in its application (see 1601070023).