The US local fixed-line market is gearing up for its own war in the courts, timed to begin when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finally issues its so-called UNE Order in the coming weeks. The order overhauls the current set of rules governing how alternative operators lease elements of the local network - dubbed unbundled network elements (UNEs) - from Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). The UNE Order favours the RBOCs by removing their obligation to provide line-sharing and offer fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) on an unbundled basis. It also shifts the responsibility for deciding whether local switches (a crucial part of UNE-P) should remain unbundled to each of the state regulators. For their part, the state regulators' attitude is that residential switches, at least, should remain part of the UNE-P bundle (see below).
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