WASHINGTON — AT&T Corp. has broadened its allegations that Verizon Communications Inc. is marketing long-distance service in states where it doesn't have permission to do so.
New York-based AT&T said Verizon has marketed long-distance service to business customers in Virginia Beach, Va., even though the company hasn't applied for regulatory permission to offer the service.
AT&T also said an AT&T attorney was able to order Verizon long-distance service for his home Monday morning in New Jersey, where the company's application to provide the service is still pending.
The attorney filed an affidavit meant to show that Verizon is signing up long-distance customers in New Jersey even after admitting earlier this month that it inadvertently included fliers advertising the service in 500,000 phone bills.
AT&T has asked the Federal Communications Commission to suspend or deny all of Verizon's applications to offer long-distance service pending in its local calling region.
The FCC is due to decide on Verizon's application in Maine on Wednesday, and New Jersey next Monday. While AT&T's complaints aren't expected to derail Verizon's applications, the FCC could fine the company pending the outcome of an investigation.
Verizon spokesman Bob Bishop said marketing letters that were printed in bulk to advertise the company's permitted long-distance offerings in Rhode Island were inadvertently mailed to 1,800 business customers in Virginia.
The AT&T attorney who was able to order Verizon long-distance service over the Internet Monday morning in New Jersey should be receiving an automatic notification that the service isn't yet available, Bishop added.
"These were simply accidents, and we're taking steps to clean them up," Bishop said. The company has told the FCC that delaying its applications would hurt the public.
Robert Quinn, AT&T's vice president for federal regulatory affairs, said "the FCC, not Verizon, should be determining whether these are in fact unrelated mistakes."
Verizon's entry into long distance in six of its local calling region states has quickly cut into the incumbent long distance providers' market share.