The Management Network Group Obtaining information in a timely manner is one of the common complaints CLEC's have with incumbent carriers. For now, the attitude of most incumbents is slanted against the competitive local exchange carriers. While this is slowly changing due to regulatory pressures, a CLEC that is requesting an incumbent to perform an activity is asking for something out of the incumbent's normal processes, which disrupts its existing practices. Another issue to keep in mind is that incumbents are largely unionized, especially in areas where they deal with CLECs. This is not an excuse, but a fact.
Unions have rules that keep staff within their boxes.
And with incumbents, these rules forbid their staff from stepping outside of the lines. As CLEC's have grown, changes to these rules are being made. Incumbents do provide information on how to send orders to them, and the documentation that explains this, as well as the codes, are massive. Most CLECs accept the books, forms, and codes, and then try to decipher the method in which orders should be created and sent. The reality is, you have to gain an understanding of how to use the documentation, as well as learn how the process works.