Bell Atlantic Deal Signed. 30% boost and decent volume!!
Think we'll hit last years $11 target now?
Kris
Wednesday June 23, 9:29 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Metrocall, Inc.
Metrocall Signs Interconnection Agreement With Bell Atlantic; CEO Collins Praises Bell Atlantic's Leadership
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Metrocall, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCLL - news) today announced that it has signed thirteen (13) interconnection agreements with Bell Atlantic, one for each state in the telecommunication company's service region. The agreements provide for the delivery of local telephone traffic to Metrocall's paging and wireless messaging network, and compensation to Metrocall for terminating Bell Atlantic-originated local calls across Bell Atlantic's region.
''These agreements not only recognize Metrocall's compensation rights under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, but should be a proud moment for Bell Atlantic. I congratulate Bell Atlantic's management team for its leadership, foresight, hard work and good faith discussions. This agreement speaks highly for them as a company that has always intended to honor its obligations under the Telecommunications Act,'' stated William L. Collins, III, Metrocall's president and CEO. ''Following Bell Atlantic's unselfish lead on this issue, all local telephone companies should now comply with the Telecom Act and the FCC's rules. It is unfortunate that other telephone companies continue to openly defy the FCC's interconnection rules and refuse to negotiate good faith agreements that honor a paging company's co-carrier network status.''
Bell Atlantic has been in compliance for some time with the FCC's interconnection rules. Bell Atlantic agreed to enter into these agreements with Metrocall without any threat of legal action or administrative sanctions.
Vincent D. Kelly, Metrocall's chief financial officer added, ''We expect these interconnection agreements to produce significant annual call termination fees for Metrocall in just the Bell Atlantic region. Now we look forward to negotiating similar agreements with other phone companies throughout the rest of the United States.''
Frederick M. Joyce, a partner with the firm of Joyce & Jacobs, legal counsel to Metrocall, stated, ''For Metrocall and other paging carriers to enter into interconnection agreements with other telephone companies, they will need the FCC to press non-complying telephone companies to honor the agency's rules. Unless these telco carriers know that there will be severe penalties for non-compliance with the FCC's rules, they will have no incentive to negotiate with paging carriers in good faith.''
The Metrocall/Bell Atlantic reciprocal compensation agreements are subject to review and approval by various public utility commissions. Metrocall anticipates that such approval will be promptly granted. In the meantime, Metrocall has pending before the FCC complaints against various telephone companies that continue to charge unlawful local transport charges against paging carriers. Metrocall has asked for an award of damages, reimbursement for past charges, and interest on previous payments for these unlawful charges.
Metrocall, headquartered in Alexandria, VA, is a leading U.S. paging and wireless messaging company, serving more than 5.7 million subscribers in all fifty states through its Nationwide Wireless Network. For more information on Metrocall please visit www.metrocall.com or AOL Keyword: Metrocall.
SOURCE: Metrocall, Inc. |
