United States Third Circuit

Section 252(e)(6) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, providing for federal court review of an interconnection agreement approved by a state utility commission, does not violate a state utility commission's Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/21/2001
• Decided 11/07/2001
• Published 11/07/2001

Judges

• Before ROTH, AMBRO and FUENTES, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Thomas B. Schmidt, III, Donna L. Fisher, Kelly Ann Ryan, Pepper Hamilton LLP, Harrisburgh, PA, Julia A. Conover, Suzan DeBusk Paiva (Argued), Verizon Pennsylvania Inc., Philadelphia, PA, Attorneys for Appellant Bell Atlantic-Pennsylvania, Inc., Bohdan R. Pankiw, Chief Counsel, Robert J. Longwell, Deputy Chief Counsel, Maryanne R. Martin (Argued), Assistant Counsel, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Harrisburg, PA, Attorneys for Appellants Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, John M. Quain, Robert K. Bloom, John Hanger, David W. Rolka, Nora Mead Brownell, in their official capacities as Commissioners of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission., Counsel on Sovereign Immunity, Issues Exclusively, Albert G. Bixler (Argued for Appellants).


• For Appellees:
  
• Maureen F. Del Duca,Jodie L. Kelley, James A. Trilling, Jenner & Block, Jeffrey A. Rackow (Argued), MCI Worldcom, Inc., Washington, DC, Attorneys for Appellees MCI Telecom Corp. and MCIMETRO Access Transmission Services, Inc., David M. Levy (Argued), Stephen B. Kinnaird, Michael L. Post, Sidley & Austin, Washington, DC, Daniel Clearfield, Alan C. Kohler, Joseph C. Crawford, Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen, Philadelphia, PA, Mark A. Keffer, Robert C. Barber, AT & T Communications, Oakton, VA, Attorneys for Appellee AT & T Communications of PA, Inc., David M. Barasch, United States Attorney, Stuart E. Schiffer, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Mark B. Stern, Charles W. Scarborough, Kathleen A. Kane, United States Department of Justice Civil Division, Appellate Staff, Washington, DC, Attorneys for Appellee United States of America., Susan D. Paiva (Argued for Appellees).