NORTH CAROLINA UTILITIES COMMISSION v. F.C.C.

Nos. 76-1002, 76-1152, 76-1292, 76-1415, 76-1443, 76-1467, and 76-1502.

552 F.2d 1036 (1977)

NORTH CAROLINA UTILITIES COMMISSION et al., Petitioners, v. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION and United States of America, Respondents, Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association et al., Intervenors.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided March 22, 1977.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Edward B. Hipp, Raleigh, N.C., for State of North Carolina Utilities Commission.

Carl E. Sanders, Augusta, Ga. (John L. Taylor, Jr., Atlanta, Ga., on brief) for Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utilities Commission.

William L. Leonard, New York City (F. Mark Garlinghouse, Edward L. Friedman and Alfred C. Partoll, New York City, Michael Boudin, Stuart C. Stock, Washington, D.C., on brief), for Bell System Companies.

Thomas J. O'Reilly, Washington, D.C. (Lloyd D. Young, Washington, D.C., on brief), for United States Independent Telephone Association (William J. Brown, Charles S. Rawlings and Cheryl Hachman, Columbus, Ohio, on brief for Public Utilities Commission of Ohio; Marshall Cox, New York City, on brief for Continental Telephone Corp.; Richard R. Zaragoza, and Clifford M. Harrington, Washington, D.C., on brief for Rixon, Inc.; Michael T. Tomaino, Rochester, N. Y., on brief for Rochester Telephone Corporation; John M. Lothschuetz, Mansfield, Ohio, and Carolyn C. Hill, Washington, D.C., on brief; Warren E. Baker and Richard J. Croker, Kansas City, Mo., on brief for United System Service Inc. and the United Telephone System operating companies).

Daniel M. Armstrong, Associate Gen. Counsel, FCC, Washington, D.C. (Werner K. Hartenberger, Acting Gen. Counsel, Sheldon M. Guttman and Jack D. Smith, Counsel, FCC, Washington, D.C., on brief).

Joseph M. Kittner, Washington, D.C. (Edward P. Taptich and Virginia S. Carson, McKenna, Wilkinson & Kittner, Washington, D.C., on brief), for Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association.

Edwin B. Spievack, Washington, D.C. (Joel H. Levy, Cohn & Marks, Washington, D.C., on brief), for North American Telephone Association.

Stephen R. Bell, Washington, D.C. (Herbert E. Marks, Wilkinson, Cragun & Barker, Washington, D.C., on brief), for Independent Data Communications Manufacturers Association, Inc. (Donald I. Baker, Acting Asst. Atty. Gen., Washington, D.C., Robert B. Nicholson and James Ponsoldt, Attys. Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., on brief; Charles R. Cutler, John L. Bartlett, John B. Wyss, Kirkland, Ellis & Rowe, Washington, D.C. on brief for Aeronautical Radio, Inc.; John S. Voorhees, Howrey & Simon, Washington, D.C., on brief; Robert E. McKee, New York City, on brief for International Telephone and Telegraph Corp.; Grant S. Lewis, Jay G. Safer, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby & MacRae, New York City, on brief; Jay E. Ricks, Robert R. Bruce, Hogan & Hartson, Washington, D.C., on brief for Phone-Mate, Inc.; Irving K. Kaler, Lawrence J. Movshin, Kaler, Karesh & Frankel, Atlanta, Ga., on brief for Rollins Protective Services Co.; Joseph E. Keller, Wayne V. Black, Larry S. Solomon, Keller & Heckman, Washington, D.C., on brief for Central Committee on Telecommunications of the American Petroleum Institute; William H. Borghesani, Jr., Keller & Heckman, Washington, D.C., on brief for Dasa Corp.; J. Roger Wollenberg, David R. Anderson, Neil J. King, Michael S. Schooler, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, D.C., on brief for International Business Machines Corp.; J. Gordon Walter, Armonk, N. Y., on brief for International Business Machines Corp.; Rich M. Stein, Sigelman & Stein, Beverly Hills, Cal., on brief for Phonetele, Inc.; Charles M. Meehan, Carole C. Harris, Keller & Heckman, Washington, D.C., on brief for Utilities Telecommunications Council).

Paul L. Douglas, Atty. Gen., C. C. Sheldon, Asst. Atty. Gen., Lincoln, Neb., on brief, for amicus curiae State of Nebraska ex rel. Nebraska Public Service Commission.

Before RIVES, TUTTLE, and WIDENER, Circuit Judges.


TUTTLE, Circuit Judge:

This is a case of second impression. In North Carolina Utilities Commission v. FCC, 537 F.2d 787 (4th Cir.1976), petition for cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 97 S.Ct. 651, 50 L.Ed.2d 631, (1976), this Court upheld a declaratory ruling of the Federal Communications Commission that the Communications Act of 1934 preempts state regulation of telephone terminal equipment used for both interstate and local...

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