MINNEAPOLIS--Incumbent carriers must be prepared to fight against all forms of competitors that want to access local networks without paying for it, said Gene South, chairman of the U.S. Telecom Association.

Speaking at the general session of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance's annual convention, South, who also is CEO of Lakedale Communications in Annandale, Minn., said that with Congress set to revisit the Telecom Act, all local facilities-based carriers must band together to level the playing field. At the same time, regulators must take into consideration the unique challenges of serving rural markets.

"It's time for the president and Congress to put their stamp on history," he said.

Citing USTA's successful campaign to get AT&T to drop its petition that would have exempted it from access charges on voice-over-IP calls, South said carriers must demand that every carrier "pay its own bills."

Level 3 had a similar petition at the FCC and decided this morning to withdraw it. In a prepared statement, Level 3 Chairman James Crowe said the company withdrew the petition in deference to the commission.

"Given the appointment of new leadership only three business days before the statutory deadline for ruling on the petition, we determined it was inappropriate to ask the agency to resolve this important issue in the timeframe required by law," he said.

South, however, said incumbents need to remain vigilant.

"For those getting a free ride on our telecom infrastructure, we say 'bring it on.' We love to fight for what is right," he said.