RICHMOND — The State Corporation Commission (SCC) has set its schedule to consider an application by Verizon to declare that competition exists throughout its service territory and that its rates for retail services should be deregulated. Combined, Verizon Virginia and Verizon South are the largest providers of local telephone service in Virginia.

Verizon filed its application on January 17. The SCC hearing will begin July 23. The scheduling order requests case participants to address nine questions that will aid the Commission’s evaluation of the application under the applicable standards of Virginia law.

Verizon’s application states that the retail telecommunications market in Virginia is robustly competitive. As such, the Commission’s current regulatory requirements are no longer necessary to constrain Verizon’s pricing or to ensure that Verizon provides adequate service at just and reasonable rates.

Among the questions asked by the Commission are:

• What is the appropriate market(s) [statewide, limited geographic, category of customer] for the Commission to consider in determining whether Verizon’s retail services are competitive?
• What constitutes an effective competitor in the relevant market, such that the competitor’s presence [wireline, wireless, cable, Internet] reasonably meets the needs of consumers pursuant to Virginia law?
• For any telephone services found to be competitive, what competitive safeguards should the Commission adopt pursuant to Virginia law?

The Commission has established July 23 as the date for its hearing regarding this application. Any person wishing to testify at the hearing may do so by arriving early and signing in with the SCC bailiff. The hearing begins at 10:00 a.m. in the SCC’s courtroom, 2nd floor, Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street in downtown Richmond.

Written comments on the application are due by April 20, 2007. They can be submitted by mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118, and refer to case number PUC-2007-00008.

The public may also submit comments electronically by following the instructions available at the SCC’s website: www.scc.virginia.gov/case/ Click on the PUBLIC COMMENTS/NOTICES link and then the SUBMIT COMMENTS button for the above referenced case number.

Verizon’s application and related documents may be viewed during regular business hours at the SCC’s Document Control Center, First Floor, Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond. The SCC has also created a specific web site for viewing an electronic version of the application: www.scc.virginia.gov/puc/comp/vv_comp/rsc_app.aspx.

All other public documents in this case will be available via the SCC’s Docket Search feature on the web site at: www.scc.virginia.gov/case/

The SCC also intends to web cast the audio of the July 23 hearing via the SCC web site. Instructions regarding such are also found at the same site location.

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Case number: PUC-2007-00008