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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  December  10,  1999  Mike  Balmoris  at  (202)  418-  0253 
 Email:  mbalmori@  fcc.  gov 
 COMMON  CARRIER  ACTION 
 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION  DENIES  AUTOMATIC  GRANT  OF  AT&  T’S  APPLICATION  TO  DISCONTINUE  ITS  TOLL  FREE 
 DIRECTORY  ASSISTANCE  SERVICE 
 Washington,  D.  C.  –  Today,  the  Common  Carrier  Bureau  of  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  denied  an  automatic  grant  of  AT&  T 
 Communications’  application  to  discontinue  its  Toll  Free  Directory  Assistance  Service,  1-  800-  555-  1212.  The  service  allows  persons  to  call  the  service  to  obtain  the  toll-  free 
 service  number  associated  with  a  particular  toll-  free  service  listing. 
 AT&  T  filed  its  application  to  discontinue  providing  this  service  on  November  12,  1999,  to  be  effective  March  31,  2000,  and  cited  the  cost  of  providing  toll-  free  directory 
 assistance  service  and  the  declining  value  derived  from  the  service.  Applications  to  discontinue  service  are  normally  granted  automatically  unless  it  is  shown  that  customers 
 may  be  unable  to  receive  service  or  a  reasonable  substitute  or  that  the  public  convenience  and  necessity  may  be  otherwise  adversely  affected. 


 Following  AT&  T’s  application  to  discontinue  service,  numerous  comments  objecting  to  AT&  T’s  application  were  filed  with  the  FCC.  The 
 comments  argue  that  there  may  be  no  reasonably  substitutable  service  and  that  the  public  interest  may  be  adversely  affected.  The  nature  of  the  objections  filed  with 
 the  FCC  include: 
 €  not  all  customers  have  or  can  afford  access  to  the  Internet; 
 €  additional  fees  will  be  implemented  for  this  service; 
 €  elderly  and  disabled  people  depend  on  the  service; 
 €  many  AT&  T  employees  (some  filing  comments  as  members  of 
 Communications  Workers  of  America)  will  be  harmed;  and,  €  small  businesses  will  incur  economic  hardship. 


 Accordingly,  AT&  T  has  been  notified  that  its  application  to  discontinue  its  Toll  Free  Directory  Assistance  Service,  1-  800-  555-  1212,  will  not  be  granted 
 automatically,  but  will  be  acted  upon  based  on  its  merits,  following  further  examination  of  both  the  comments  received  and  any  responsive  comments  that 
 AT&  T  files. 
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 Action  by  the  Common  Carrier  Bureau  December  10,  1999  Public  Notice,  DA  99-  2769,  by  the  Chief,  Network  Services  Division,  Common  Carrier  Bureau. 
 -Common  Carrier  Bureau- 
 Report  No.  99-  58  NSD  File  No.  W-  P-  D-  443 


 Common  Carrier  Bureau  contacts:  Marty  Schwimmer  or  Al  McCloud  at  (202)  418-  2320;  TTY  (202)  418-  0484. 


 News  about  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  can  also  be  found  on  the  Commission’s  web  site  www.  fcc.  gov. 
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