Opinion ID: 186058
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sprint's Petition

Text: 49 Sprint has not alleged any hardship, so we only inquire whether the issues it raises are fit for judicial review. Sprint asks this court to vacate the observations in the Declaratory Ruling that CMRS carriers have never operated under the same calling party's network pays (CPNP) compensation regime as wireline LECs, that [u]ntil 1998 ... all CMRS carriers recovered the cost of terminating long distance calls from their end users, and not from interexchange carriers, and that [b]ecause both carriers charge their customers for the service they provide, it does not necessarily follow that IXCs receive a windfall in situations where no compensation is paid for access service provided by a CMRS carrier. See Petitioner Sprint's Br. at 28 (citing Declaratory Ruling, 17 F.C.C.R. at 13,198-99). Sprint claims that these historical observations are somehow preclusive, in that they may influence the district court's judgment on the contract claim or be cited by other IXCs who refuse to pay Sprint's access charges. 50 It is clear that the passages from the Declaratory Ruling cited by Sprint are merely descriptive statements by the agency, not legal conclusions. The statements have no force of law, so they cannot conclusively cause the adverse collateral consequences suggested by Sprint. In short, Sprint is quibbling over FCC observations that have no binding effect whatsoever. This is never a basis for review in this court. Cf. Panhandle E. Pipe Line Co. v. FERC, 198 F.3d 266 (D.C.Cir.1999) (holding that there is nothing for a court to review when an agency has never issued a final and binding judgment that has the force of law). 51 Sprint further argues that the FCC unreasonably failed to determine that AT&T's refusal to pay was unjust and discriminatory in violation of 47 U.S.C. §§ 201(b) and 202(a). See Petitioner Sprint's Br. at 35-37. The Declaratory Ruling held that it need not address this question until the trial court determined whether there was a contract. Declaratory Ruling, 17 F.C.C.R. at 13,200. And during oral argument, counsel for Sprint acknowledged that the Commission has considered claims of discrimination and unreasonableness in the past through complaints filed pursuant to § 208 of the Communications Act. Therefore, the Commission was not obliged to review these discrimination claims in a declaratory ruling issued to address the two specific questions referred by the district court. Whether AT&T's refusal to pay violates §§ 201 and 202 is beyond the scope of the referral. If the occasion arises, the parties agree that Sprint is free to file a complaint under 47 U.S.C. § 208 seeking redress for alleged unjust and discriminatory practices. Since the Commission properly deferred consideration of Sprint's claims, there is nothing for this court to review. 52 Finally, Sprint argues that the FCC failed in its statutory duty to regulate interstate access charges and CMRS carriers by not requiring AT&T to pay the termination charges Sprint billed to AT&T. Petitioner Sprint's Br. at 19-21. Sprint did not raise this argument with the Commission, so it is not properly before this court. Furthermore, the FCC's regulation of access charges and CMRS carriers is a matter of policy that is beyond the scope of the referral questions answered by the Declaratory Ruling. The basic rationale for the ripeness doctrine is to prevent courts from entangling themselves in abstract disagreements over administrative policies. Abbott Labs., 387 U.S. at 148. The regulation of access charges for CMRS providers and other carriers is currently the subject of proposed rulemaking. See In the Matter of Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 16 F.C.C.R. 9610, 2001 WL 455872 (2001), reported at 66 Fed. Reg. 28,410 (F.C.C.2001). We decline to interfere with those proceedings.