United States Tenth Circuit

Under 47 USC 254(b), the FCC may exercise its discretion to balance the principles in the statute against one another when they conflict, but may not depart from them altogether to achieve some other goal.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/31/2001
• Published 07/31/2001

Judges

• EBEL, Circuit Judge., Before EBEL, BALDOCK and KELLY, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Tenth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Matthew A. Brill of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, DC (John H. Harwood II, William R. Richardson, Jr., Francesca Bignami of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering;  Robert B. McKenna of Qwest Corporation, Denver, CO;  Steven R. Beck of Qwest Corporation, with him on the briefs), for Petitioner Qwest Corporation., Elisabeth H. Ross of Birch, Horton, Bittner and Cherot, Washington, DC (Douglas S. Burdin, Allison M. Ellis of Birch, Horton, Bittner and Cherot;  John Sayles of Vermont Department of Public Service, Montpelier, VT;  Martin Jacobson of Montana Public Service Commission, Robert A. Nelson, Thomas S. Muri of Montana Consumer Counsel, Helena, MT, with her on the briefs), for Petitioners Vermont Department of Public Service et al., Gene S. Schaerr of Sidley & Austin, Washington, DC (David L. Lawson, James P. Young, Christopher T. Shenk of Sidley & Austin;  Mark C. Rosenblum, Peter H. Jacoby, Judy Sello of AT & T Corp., Basking Ridge, NJ;  Thomas F. O'Neil III, William Single, IV of WorldCom, Inc., with him on the brief), for Intervenors AT & T Corp. et al., Elisabeth H. Ross of Birch, Horton, Bittner and Cherot, Washington, DC (Douglas S. Burdin, Allison M. Ellis of Birch, Horton, Bittner and Cherot;  John Sayles of Vermont Department of Public Service, Montpelier, VT;  Joel B. Shifman of Maine Public Utilities Commission, Augusta, ME, with her on the brief), for Intervenors Vermont Department of Public Service et al.


• For Appellees:
  
• James M. Carr, Counsel (Christopher J. Wright, General Counsel, John E. Ingle, Deputy Associate General Counsel, Lisa S. Gelb, Counsel, with him on the brief), Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, for Respondent Federal Communications Commission.