WORLD TRADE RESTRICTED
S/NGBT/W/3/Add.13/Supp.1
20January 1995
ORGANIZATION
(95-0070)
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications Original: English
COMMUNICATION FROM UNITED STATES
Follow-up toQuestions relating totheU.S.Response totheQuestionnaire
onBasic Telecommunications
Supplement
Thefollowing supplementary information iscirculated attherequest oftheUnited States to
Members oftheNegotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications.
1. Australia asked whether international carriers andresellers areRecognized Private Operating
Agencies (RPOAs).
Answer: International carriers andresellers maybothbeRPOAs, asmayenhanced service
providers (ESPs, alsoknown asvalue-added service providers). Thecarrier, reseller, orESPmust
apply totheFCC, which processes theapplication andforwards itwitharecommendation tothe
Department ofState. TheDepartment ofStatemakes thefinaldetermination whether togrant RPOA
status.
2. Initsresponse, theUnited States stated thatComsat isrequired toprovide access toIntelsat
andInmarsat satellites onanon-discriminatory basis toallcarriers andusers authorized bytheFCC.
Finland asked whatisanauthorized user.
Answer: Pursuant toanFCCorder, anyone maybeanauthorized userandmaytherefore obtain
access toIntelsat andInmarsat satellites directly from Comsat onanon-discriminatory basis, rather
thanhaving toobtain access from acarrier thatobtained access from Comsat. Some U.S. carriers
hadargued thatusers should belegally required toobtain access from carriers.
3. Canada asked whether Country Direct andcallbackoperators needtoobtain authorization
under Section 214oftheCommunications Actinorder toprovide service and,ifso,whether their
applications receive streamlined review.
Answer: International carriers andresellers, including callbackoperators, arerequired toobtain
Section 214authorization inorder toprovide telecommunications services toforeign countries. Country
Direct service istreated asaswitched service tothecountry inwhich thecalloriginates. Callback
operators mustobtain Section 214authorization toresell theswitched service offerings oftheunderlying
facilities-based carrier. Anapplication toresell switched services would receive streamlined review
andwould beautomatically granted 45daysaftertheFCCissues apublic notice announcing thefiling
oftheapplication iftheFCCreceives nooppositions totheapplication. Anapplication toresell switched
services forthepurpose ofproviding acallbackservice would notreceive streamlined review because,
pending reconsideration oftheFCC'sorder oncallbackservices, theFCChasannounced thatitwill
condition thegrant ofanysuchapplication ontheoutcome ofthereconsideration proceeding.