P.I.M.P. Plan May Be Filed At FCC This Week

We hear that the P. I. M. P. (Promote Incumbent Monopoly Payments) intercarrier compensation reform plan (see May 9 post) may be filed at the FCC this week. The filing of the plan at the FCC comes just ahead of NARUC's meeting in San Francisco next week. As we have said before, we see little hope that the PIMP plan will be put out for public comment any time before late September. The plan, backed by AT&T, BellSouth and RLECs is an RLEC giveaway and regardless of when it's considered, we see little chance of its adoption in its current form. The biggest problem is that it's attempting to tackle intrastate access charges with little legal or political cover. In any event, we look forward to seeing the PIMP plan, whenever it emerges.