[1] See Comments of Teleport Communications Group, Amendment of Part 36 of The Commission's Rules and Establishment of a Joint Board, CC Docket 80-286, FCC 94-199, October 28, 1994.

[2] This presumes, of course, that Sections 251 and 252 of the Act have been successfully implemented. To the extent that new entrants remain dependent upon the incumbent local exchange carriers for the termination of traffic and for unbundled elements, these sections of the Act take on critical importance. It is for this reason that TCG has insisted on strict quality of service standards in its interconnection negotiations with the RBOCs, in addition to viable interconnection rates. Without enforceable standards, an entrant's ability to provide acceptable service, basic or otherwise, could be compromised and held hostage to the whims of the incumbent.