A80 CTLR DESCRIBED ACR EARLY DESCEND ALLEGING 'DESCEND VIA' PHRASEOLOGY AS CONTRIBUTORY.

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ON INITIAL CONTACT; ACR X WAS GIVEN THIS CLRNC: 'ACR X DSND VIA THE ERLIN 5 ARR RWY 26R.' APPROX 4 MI SE OF STUTZ; I OBSERVED THE ALT OF ACR X TO BE 11400 FT. I TOLD ACR X IT APPEARED HE HAD DSNDED EARLY ON THE ARR AND TO MAINTAIN 11000 FT. ACR X SHOULD HAVE MAINTAINED 12000 FT UNTIL NOFIV; BUT WHEN THE ACFT DSNDED EARLY I ASSIGNED THE LOWEST ALT THAT I OWNED IN THAT AREA. I ASKED THE PLT WHAT ALT HE WAS DSNDING TO AND HE SAID HE WAS 'LOOKING AT THE NEXT STEPDOWN FIX.' THAT MEANT HE WAS DSNDING TO 7000 FT. IF THIS ANOMALY HAD GONE UNNOTICED; ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN DSNDING THROUGH THE ALTS OF THE DEP TFC CLBING TO 10000 FT. I AM NOT SURE IF THIS ANOMALY WAS CAUSED BY PLT ERROR OR EQUIP MALFUNCTION. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THIS SITUATION. FIRST; CANCEL DSND VIA CLRNCS INTO ATL. SECOND; IF THE AGENCY INSISTS ON CONTINUING DSND VIA CLRNCS; THEN THE ACTUAL CLRNC SHOULD BE WITHHELD UNTIL THE ACFT IS ALREADY TURNING DOWNWIND AND CLR OF ALL CONFLICTS. THIS WILL PREVENT THE ACFT FROM DSNDING INTO A DEP. THIRD; CHANGE THE PHRASEOLOGY AND GIVE THE ACFT A HARD ALT TO MAINTAIN UNTIL CLR OF CONFLICTS; IE; 'CROSS NOFIV AT 12000 FT; DSND VIA THE ERLIN 5 ARR; RWY 26R.' FINALLY; FLT CREWS NEED TO BE MORE EDUCATED ON THE AIRSPACE THAT THEY ARE FLYING INTO. NO ARRIVING ACFT WILL EVER BE ISSUED NOR SHOULD THEY BE DSNDING TO AN ALT THAT IS LOWER THAN 11000 FT ON THE DEP SIDE OF THE ARPT. ALL TURBOJET ACFT DEPARTING ATL ARE ISSUED AN INITIAL ALT OF 10000 FT.