(1) Within 10 days after the respondent files its response to the petition for arbitration, the arbitrator or hearings officer will hold a conference to discuss a procedural schedule for the proceeding that conforms to the deadlines set forth in section 252 of the 1996 Act. The parties and the arbitrator will also attempt to identify, simplify and limit the issues to be resolved and discuss the scope and timing of discovery. The arbitrator or hearings officer may schedule other prehearing conferences as reasonable and necessary to ensure a timely resolution of open issues as required by the 1996 Act.