Telco Access Alert is a regular update of new and ongoing telecommunications regulatory proceedings at the state and federal levels.

INTRASTATE ACCESS CHARGE PROCEEDINGS

NEW FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 6, 2012

Massachusetts – Notice –
http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/dtc/telecom/voip-pstn-tariff-filings-advisory.pdf

In response to the November 18, 2011 FCC USF/ICC Order and Notice, carriers began filing tariffs for VoIP/PSTN rates defaulting to the interstate access tariffs. In all but a single case, no rates were specified in the tariff.

The Department of Telecommunications and Cable announced that they generally require all tariff filings to specify the actual rates. The department has provided notice to all carriers that filed tariffs without rates must be refiled with specific rates, or a specific reference to the applicable intrastate tariff provisions. If the carrier shows that supplying specific rates would impose a substantial burden on the company, they may refile with a reference to a federal tariff. In doing so, they must specify specific sub-sections of the federal tariff that will be applicable.


Illinois – Illinois Public Utilities Act Section 13-900.2.  
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/ilstatutes/220/5/XIII

Updated January 4, 2012:
Beginning January 1, 2011, switched access rates of all telecommunications carriers must be reduced to levels no higher than their interstate switched access rates.  On January 1, 2011, each carrier must reduce its switched access rates by an amount equal to 50% of the difference between its then current intrastate switched access and its then current interstate switched access rates.  By January 1, 2012 each carrier must reduce their intrastate switched access rates further by an amount equal to 50% of the difference between their current rates and their current interstate rates.

By July 1, 2012 intrastate access rates must mirror interstate access rates.  These rules do not apply to ILECs serving 35,000 or fewer access lines.  Carriers are also permitted to set their intrastate switched access rates below their interstate rates.


Virginia – Case PUC-2011-00002 -
http://www.scc.virginia.gov/puc/CCLCFiles/PUC201100002Order.PDF

Beginning July 1, 2011, ILECs with fewer than 15,000 access lines had to implement a schedule to eliminate their Carrier Common Line Charges (CCLC). The first requirement for each carrier was to notify the SCC which of two options they would select for this.

Option 1 would require a reduction in their CCLC to $0.0289/minute effective January 1, 2012. This would be followed by further reductions of the CCLC to $0.150/minute effective January 1, 2014, $0.0075/minute effective January 1, 2014 and finally a reduction to $0.00/minute effective January 1, 2015.

Option 2 requires the carriers to reduce the CCLC annually by an amount equal to $1.00/residential line and $2.00/business line. In addition, the annual reduction will be based upon the line counts (residential and business) and intrastate access MOUs for the most recent 12 months of study. The reduction will be applied to the terminating CCLC. When the originating and terminating CCLC rates are equalized, then both will be reduced in equal increments. Revised switched access tariffs are to be filed no later than December 1 of each year, effective on January 1 of the following year. The deadline for reducing the originating and terminating CCLC rates to zero is January 1, 2017, unless the charges have previously been reduced to zero.

An ILEC that selects Option 2 may at any time convert to Option 1. However, in doing so there can be no resulting increase in the CCLC, either originating or terminating.
The following ILECs have selected which option they will follow:

Option 1: Amelia Telephone Corp., Buggs Island Telephone Cooperative, Citizens Telephone Cooperative, Highland Telephone Cooperative, New Castle Telephone Company, New Hope Telephone Company, NTELOS Telephone Inc., Pembroke Telephone Cooperative, Peoples Mutual Telephone Co., Roanoke & Botetourt Telephone Co. and Virginia Telephone Co.

Option 2: Burke’s Garden Telephone Co., MGW Telephone Co. and Scott County Telephone Cooperative

For a complete list of these new and previous intrastate access charge proceedings, view this PDF.

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