October 3, 2002

The Michigan Public Service Commission today approved Deerfield Farmers’ Telephone Company’s application to amend its license to provide basic local telephone service to include several telephone exchanges currently served by Contel of the South, Inc., d/b/a  Verizon North Systems and Verizon North Inc.   The additional exchanges include:  the Lambertville and Morenci exchanges currently served by Verizon North Systems and the Adrian, Blissfield, Britton, Clinton, Dundee, Hudson, Ida, and Tecumseh exchanges served by Verizon North Inc.  Telephone exchanges are geographic boundaries that define a customer’s local calling area.  Deerfield filed to amend its license on July 16, 2002.

The Commission concluded that the application is in the public interest.  The Commission conditioned the expansion of the license on compliance with the Commission’s anti-slamming procedures, number portability provisions of the Michigan Telecommunications Act and the Commission’s number reclamation process.  Failure to comply fully with these procedures may result in revocation of Deerfield’s license or other penalties.  The expansion of the license is also conditioned upon providing service to customers in the added exchanges within a reasonable time, and failure to do so may result in revocation of the license.

Deerfield, headquartered in Petersburg, Michigan, provides telephone service to about 2,800 customers.

The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Consumer and Industry Services.

Case No. U-13482