Because of this, the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission asked its hearing examiner Harry Boertzel to contact the involved parties to submit their responses.
Yesterday, the commission gave GTA Services, which wants to become a local exchange carrier in the CNMI, and Georgetown Consulting Inc., the commission’s technical consultant, until Oct. 14 to submit their responses.
The commission said the hearing examiner will make a determination whether it will need to hear a reply from IT&E after the responses are submitted.
If the hearing examiner finds no need for a reply from IT&E, he will decide whether to allow the telecommunications company to intervene, the commission said.
If the hearing examiner allows IT&E to intervene there will be more steps to accomplish.
However, if the hearing examiner will not allow IT&E’s intervention then it will consider approving or not the GTA application.
In an interview, CPUC Chairwoman Viola Alepuyo said GTA filed an application for certification of public convenience and necessity early this year.
The company, she said, wants to provide telephone, cell phone, cable and internet services in the CNMI.
GTA conducted a public hearing last June as part of its application for certification.
Because the commission was not organized after June due to lack of members, GTA’s application was put on hold until the commission reconvened.
Alepuyo said the issuance of certification is just one of the requirements of companies that want to do business in the CNMI.
“I want to make sure everybody is protected — we don’t want to be unfair,” she added.
Also yesterday, the commission received the status report filed by Georgetown concerning its recommendation to modify the levelized adjustment clause or LEAC rate of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
CUC was asked to respond to the report.
Yesterday, CUC also filed its petition asking the CPUC to allow their rate increase from at least 12 percent for the residential customers using less than 5,000 gallons, to 56 percent to residential ratepayers consuming more than 5,000 gallons.
CUC said they hope to implement the rate increase by February 2012.
CUC told the commission in its testimonies that its waste water accounts have declined by almost 50 percent since 2007, which resulted in lower revenues.
