The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today issued its ninth annual report on the status of telecommunications competition in Michigan.  The report, required by the Michigan Tele communications Act (MTA) as amended in 2005, primarily examines the state of competition in the toll and local exchange service markets in Michigan.

"Noteworthy in the 2008 report is the significant increase in the number of competitive providers who have invested in their own facilities and the fact that the competitive market has basically held steady from the previous year," said MPSC Chairman Orjiakor Isiogu.  "This represents continued investment in Michigan's competitive telecommunications infrastructure - despite the weakened economy - and indicates that providers intend to remain in the market for the long term."

Highlights of the report include:   

·         The total number of wirelines in Michigan decreased by over 600,000 lines in 2008, or 12.6 percent, from the 2007 line count, a trend that began in 2002.

·         Competitive providers held 20 percent of the total wireline market in 2008, a decrease of 0.7 percent from the previous year.

·         The total number of competitive lines decreased 15.2 percent from 2007.

·         The percent of competitive lines served by competitive providers' own facilities increased to 32.5 percent in 2008, compared to 25.1 percent the previous year.

·         AT&T Michigan's share of the market was 64.2 percent, an increase of 0.7 percent, from the previous year.

The entire report is available on the MPSC Web site:  michigan.gov/mpsc .

The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth.