SPOTLIGHT: Qwest faces opposition in Arizona over forbearance request


Qwest, actively been seeking to slip out from under certain tenants of the 1996 Telecommunications Act with a series of forbearance petitions, has run into a windstorm--albeit, a tiny one, of opposition in Arizona.

The state's Commerce Department head, Jan Lesher, contacted the FCC claiming Qwest's release would "harm Arizona consumers, and is not consistent with the public interest." She's the third member of Arizona's government to opposed Qwest's petition, joining state Rep. Bill Konopnicki and the state's Corporation Commission, which regulates telecom rates. The FCC extended its decision on the request until July 26. For more: Read the Az Tech News story