This website requires JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings, or use a different web browser like Google Chrome or Safari.

Options

From our private database of 28,500+ case briefs...

MCI Telecommunications Corp. v. AT&T Co.

United States Supreme Court

512 U.S. 218 (1994)

Facts

Section 203(a) of Title 47 of the United States Code requires communications common carriers to file tariffs with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Section 203(b) authorizes the FCC to “modify” any requirement of § 203. Beginning in 1979, the FCC decided to make tariff filing optional (called permissive detariffing) for all nondominant long-distance carriers. The rationale for this decision was to reduce costs on new entrants to the long-distance carrier market. The permissive detariffing applied to nondominant carriers, resellers and specialized common carriers, such as MCI Telecommunications Corp. (MCI) (defendant). AT&T, the dominant carrier, filed a complaint with the FCC challenging MCI’s failure to file tariffs. The FCC dismissed AT&T’s complaint, finding that MCI was in compliance with the FCC’s rule on permissive detariffing. AT&T petitioned for review of the rule in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court of appeals found that the FCC did not have authority to enact a permissive detariffing policy. The FCC then released a report and order finding that the permissive detariffing policy was within its authority under the Communications Act. AT&T filed a motion with the D.C. Circuit seeking summary reversal of the FCC’s order. The D.C. Circuit granted the motion.

Rule of Law

The rule of law is the black letter law upon which the court rested its decision. To access this section, please start your free trial or log in.

Issue

The issue section includes the dispositive legal issue in the case phrased as a question. To access this section, please start your free trial or log in.

Holding and Reasoning (Scalia, J.)

The holding and reasoning section includes:

A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

To access this section, please start your free trial or log in.

Dissent (Stevens, J.)

The dissent section is for members only and includes a summary of the dissenting judge or justice’s opinion. To access this section, please start your free trial or log in.

What to do next…

Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.
You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 545,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.
Unlock this case brief Read our student testimonials
Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.
Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.
Learn about our approach Read more about Quimbee

Here's why 545,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 28,500 briefs, keyed to 983 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Here's why 545,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
28,500 briefs - keyed to 983 casebooks
Uniform format for every case brief
Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
Top-notch customer support