Agenda Date:  September 29, 1999
Item Number:  

Docket:   UT-990392
Company Name:  Beaver Creek Telephone Company

Staff:    Bob Shirley, Regulatory Consultant

Recommendation:

Approve Beaver Creek Telephone Company’s Petition for designation as an 
Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC).

Discussion:

Beaver Creek Telephone Company is a registered local exchange company in 
Washington and is a rural telephone company under 47 U.S.C. § 153(37) and 47 
CFR § 51.5. It plans to construct new service to Silverton and Hobart (Devil’s 
Club exchange), two presently unserved areas. These areas will almost certainly 
be found to be high-cost areas and designation as an ETC is the prerequisite to 
collection of federal high-cost support.  ETC designation is also necessary and 
required for participation in the federal program for low-income support, 
Lifeline and Link Up.  

Designation as an ETC will assist Beaver Creek as it pursues funding options 
with the Rural Utility Service (RUS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  
Several other small local exchange companies operating in Washington State 
borrow from the RUS to finance construction.

Beaver Creek has represented that it will provide the supported services 
required under 47 CFR § 54.101(a)(1-9).  These are the same services that 
constitute basic service under RCW 80.36.600(7)(b). It has also represented 
that it will advertise these services using media of general distribution.  

Conclusion:           
The petition complies with the requirements for designation as an ETC and the 
Commission should issue an order designating Beaver Creek as an eligible 
telecommunications carrier for the Silverton exchange and for the Devil’s Club 
exchange.