BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

 

RUBY RANCH INTERNET                                    )

COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION,                        )

)

            PETITIONER                                     )                        ARBITRATION

)                        DOCKET NO. 01B-493T

V.                                                                    )

)

QWEST COMMUNICATIONS,                        )

)

            RESPONDENT                                    )

 

                     

 

QWEST’S OBJECTIONS TO PETITIONER’S

SECOND DISCOVERY REQUESTS

                     

 

            Qwest Corporation (“Qwest”), through its counsel, under Commission Rule (4 CCR) 723-1-77(b)(3), provides the following as its Objections to the second discovery requests from Petitioner Ruby Ranch Internet Cooperative Association (“Ruby Ranch”) dated January 13, 2002.

1.            Relevance:     The following discovery requests by Ruby Ranch seek information or records that are not relevant to the issues in this arbitration and are not reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence: Request for Admissions Nos. 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 104, 105, 106, 107; and Request for Production of Documents and Things No. 6 .

2.            Mootness:            Request for Production of Documents and Things No. 7 is moot because Qwest produced the documents this request seeks in Qwest’s Supplemental Discovery Responses served on January 16, 2002.

3.                  Confidential Customer Information:   Qwest objects to Ruby Ranch’s Requests for Admission No. 100 and 101 requesting Qwest to make admissions regarding the Willow Brook Metropolitan District (“WBMD”).

Qwest is obligated to preserve the confidentiality of its information about its customers, which includes the obligation not to disclose the services its customers use now or used in the past.  47 U.S.C. § 222, of the Telecommunications Act of 1934 (as amended) (“Section 222”).  Section 222, entitled “Privacy of customer information,” states generally that: “[e]very telecommunications carrier has a duty to protect the confidentiality of proprietary information of, and relating to ... customers."   The FCC has promulgated regulations under Section 222 designed to protect what is known as customers’ “CPNI,” consumer proprietary network information which do not permit the disclosure of information such as this discovery seeks.  In addition, Colorado Public Utilities Commission Rule 4 CCR 723-7-5 requires Qwest to preserve customers’ confidential and proprietary information.  Therefore, Qwest objects to Admission Requests 100 and 101 because they seek confidential and proprietary information which Qwest may not disclose.

There is also no relevance to a comparison of WBMD and Ruby Ranch.  Due to its confidentiality obligations considered above, Qwest is unable to elaborate further on its relevancy objection to Admission Requests 100 and 101.

4.                  Improper Use of Discovery:   Ruby Ranch’s Request for Production of Documents and Things No. 6 seeks to have Qwest produce an actual switch box for Ruby Ranch’s inspection. This request is irrelevant because what one switch box looks like and how it functions has no bearing on the issues in this Arbitration.  It is also improper to request Qwest to produce what would be, in effect, a demonstrative exhibit for Ruby Ranch.  In addition, Ruby Ranch has not listed a switch box as an exhibit in its exhibit list for the January 31, 2002 hearing in this arbitration.  Therefore, Ruby Ranch’s request for Qwest to produce a switch box is not proper discovery; Ruby Ranch can obtain a switch box on its own if there is something Ruby Ranch wants to learn about such a device.

 

Dated this _____ day of January 2002.

                                                                        QWEST CORPORATION

 

 

 

                                                                        By:______________________________________ 

                                                                                    Timothy M. Tymkovich, Esq.

                                                                                    John R. Paddock, Jr., Esq.

                                                                                    Hale Hackstaff Tymkovich, LLP

                                                                                    1675 Broadway, Suite 2000

                                                                                    Denver, Colorado  80202

                                                                                    303-592-8700

                                                                                                                                                Winslow Bouscaren, Esq.

                                                                                    Qwest Services Corporation

                                                                                    1005 17th Street, Suite 200

                                                                                    Denver, Colorado  80202

303-896-5675

 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 

            The undersigned certifies that on this ____ day of January, 2002, a true and correct copy of the foregoing QWEST=S OBJECTIONS TO PETITIONER’S SECOND DISCOVERY REQUESTS TO QWEST was served via e-mail and facsimile and placed in pre-paid first-class mail properly addressed to the following:

 

Carl Oppedahl

Ruby Ranch Internet Cooperative Association

c/o  Oppedahl & Larson LLP

P. O. Box 5088

Dillon, CO  80435-5088

Facsimile: (970)468-0104

carl@rric.net