FREQ CHANGE MISSED BY ACR LGT PLUS FREQ CONGESTION CAUSES LTSS WITH AN LTT AT SAME ALT. TCASII RA ON LGT CAUSES ALTDEV.

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AT XA41Z; LGT X NEBOUND IN LEVEL FLT AT FL240; WAS ISSUED 2 COMS TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS. LTT Y WAS; AT THAT TIME; PROCEEDING SBOUND IN LEVEL FLT AT FL240. I FEEL CERTAIN THAT I DID NOT ACCEPT THE HDOF ON LTT Y. AS SPECIFIED BY FACILITY OPS STANDARDS; THE CTLR TO WHOM LGT X WAS TRANSFERRED WAS REQUIRED TO DSND THE ACFT BELOW MY ALT STRATUM UPON INITIAL CONTACT OR NOTIFY ME THAT HE/SHE WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE MILEAGE BTWN THE 2 ACFT; IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FACILITY OPS STANDARDS; THESE 2 ACFT WERE NOT; IN MY OPINION; IN CONFLICT AT XA41Z. I RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION THAT THE FLORENCE LOW CTLR WAS UNABLE TO DSND LGT X. HAD I BEEN MADE AWARE THAT THE ACFT HAD NOT CHANGED FREQS; THERE WAS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TIME TO TAKE STEPS TO AVOID THE INCIDENT. LGT X CONTINUED IN LEVEL FLT; AND CAME INTO CONFLICTION WITH LTT Y. AT XA43Z; I ISSUED LTT Y AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO A HDG OF 270 IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID AN ERROR. AT THE SAME TIME; LGT X CONTACTED ME. I ADVISED LGT X TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO A HDG OF 090 DEGS. LGT X; INSTEAD OF ACKNOWLEDGING MY CLRNC; REPLIED WITH A RPT ON A TCASII ALERT. UNAWARE THAT LGT X WAS IN A CLB; I ISSUED A DSCNT CLRNC TO FL210. (THE FLORENCE LOW CTLR HAD APPROVED DSCNT INTO HIS AIRSPACE). ONLY THEN DID LGT X ACKNOWLEDGE MY IMMEDIATE CLRNC BY ASKING WHAT HDG I WANTED HIM TO FLY. BY THIS TIME; THE ERROR HAD OCCURRED; AND SEPARATION WAS INCREASING; SO I CLRED LGT X DIRECT TO SDZ. I THEN INSTRUCTED LGT X TO CONTACT ZDC LIBERTY LOW WHO BY NOW HAD A HDOF ON THE ACFT. AT APPROX XA47Z; LGT X WAS STILL ON THE AIKEN HIGH FREQ; AND HAD TO AGAIN BE TOLD TO CHANGE FREQS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 192656. WE WERE ON A FLT FROM ATL TO RDU. APPROX XX43 LCL; 40 NM SW OF SANDHILL VOR AT 24000 FT; JAX CENTER CALLED. THE XMISSION WAS CUT OUT. WE TRIED 3 TIMES TO CALL BACK; BUT WITH NO ANSWER. OUR TCASII GAVE A RA TELLING US TO CLB. WE CLBED IMMEDIATELY TOWARD 24500 FT. TCASII INDICATED THE OTHER ACFT 400 FT BELOW US. WE NEVER SAW THE TFC. ANOTHER CALL TO JAX CENTER WAS SUCCESSFUL. WE REMAINED ON THAT FREQ (127.87) FOR SEVERAL MINS. THE CTLR WAS RELIEVED SHORTLY BY ANOTHER CTLR. THIS NEW CTLR HAD US CONTACT JAX ON ANOTHER FREQ. THIS NEW SECTOR CTLR SAID THEY HAD TRIED TO CONTACT US 3 TIMES. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THERE DEFINITELY SEEMED TO BE A BREAKDOWN IN COMS. THE TCASII DID ITS JOB AND POSSIBLY PREVENTED A MID AIR.