ACR X NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC HAD LTSS FROM ACFT Y. PLTDEV.

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AFTER FREQ CHANGE FROM TULSA DEP CTL TO KANSAS CITY CENTER; ACR X RECEIVED AND ACKNOWLEDGED CLRNC TO 16000 FT. CTLR WORKING MORE THAN 1 FREQ AND VERY BUSY; CLBING OUT RAPIDLY AT ATC ASSIGNED SPD OF 250 KTS. APCHING 14000 FT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO FL230; VERIFIED BY COPLT AND ENTERED INTO ALT ALERT SYS WINDOW. AT 16000 FT NOTICED TFC AT 17000 FT ON TCASII; SPOTTED ACFT VISUALLY; TA WARNING ONLY ON TCASII; TOLD COPLT TO LEVEL OFF WHICH HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DOING WHEN ATC REQUESTED US TO CONFIRM LEVEL AT 16000 FT. RESPONDED; RETURNING TO 16000 FT PER ATC REQUEST. CAUSE OF PROBLEM: CTLR WORKING MORE THAN 1 FREQ. THEY SHOULD BE RESTR TO 1 FREQ ONLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 188979: I WAS FO ON ACR X FROM TUL TO DEN. ACR X WAS LIGHT (141300 POUNDS). I WAS FLYING AND CLBING AT 250 KTS PER DEP CTL INSTRUCTIONS GIVING US A GOOD CLB RATE. OUR INITIAL CLB WAS TO 4000 FT PER DEP CLRNC WITH AN EXPECT FL240 WITHIN 10 MINS. PASSING APPROX 13000 FT DEP GAVE US CLRNC TO 16000 FT AND A FREQ CHANGE TO CENTER. AFTER SWITCHING FREQS IT WAS RATHER BUSY WITH THE CTLR HANDLING WHAT APPEARED TO BE AT LEAST 1 OTHER FREQ AND MIL TFC; AS SEVERAL TRANSMISSIONS WERE BLOCKED AND REPEATED. THE CAPT CHKED IN WITH CENTER WHOM SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED US TO FL230. THE CAPT SET IN 230 IN THE ALT ALERT AND I VERIFIED FL230. APCHING 16000 FT CENTER POINTED OUT TFC AT 11 O'CLOCK AND (AROUND 12-15 MI) AT 17000 FT. THE CAPT PICKED UP THE TFC VISUALLY VERY QUICKLY AND POINTED HIM OUT. I FIRST LOOKED AT THE TCASII; WHICH WAS IN THE RA MODE; AND THEN OBSERVED THE TFC VISUALLY. I REMEMBER THINKING THAT IT SEEMED A LITTLE ODD TO BE CLBING THROUGH HIS ALT WITH ONLY 4-5 MI HORIZ SEPARATION WITHOUT US ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE HAD HIM VISUALLY FIRST. I DIDN'T FEEL WE WERE IN DANGER AT ANY TIME. THE CAPT SIGNALED TO ME VISUALLY TO LEVEL OFF; AS HE WAS THINKING THE SAME AS I. I MADE A SLOW LEVEL OFF WHICH TOOK A FEW HUNDRED FT DUE TO OUR CLB RATE. THE MAX ALT I RECALL WAS APPROX 16400 FT. A FEW SECONDS AFTER THE CAPT SIGNALED ME TO LEVEL OFF; ATC ASKED US TO VERIFY OUR ALT. THE CAPT RESPONDED THAT WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 16400 DOWN TO 16000 FT. AT ABOUT THAT TIME WE RECEIVED A 'TFC; TFC' ALERT FROM TCASII; WHICH WAS IN THE RA MODE. AT NO TIME DID WE RECEIVE AN RA COMMAND! AFTER PASSING THE TFC ATC CLRED US TO CLB AGAIN. A FEW MINS LATER ATC ASKED US TO CALL THEM FROM DEN. THE 3 THINGS THAT STICK IN MY MIND AND THAT I AM POSITIVELY SURE ABOUT IS THAT: 1) ATC WAS HANDLING MORE THAN 1 FREQ. 2) THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED AND SET IN FL230 INTO THE ALT ALERT WINDOW. 3) I VERBALLY ACKNOWLEDGED IT.