Multi-Association Group Plan Order, Parts 54 and 69 Filing Requirements for Regulation of Interstate Services of Non-Price Cap Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (LECs)and Interexchange Carriers (IXCs)

Following the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (1996 Act), the Commission adopted interstate access charge and universal service support reforms. These reforms were designed to establish a “pro-competitive, deregulatory national policy framework” for the United States telecommunications industry. Specifically, the Commission aligned the interstate access rate structure more closely with the manner in which costs are incurred, and created a universal service support mechanism for rate-of-return carriers (Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS)) to replace implicit support in interstate access charges with explicit support that is portable to all eligible telecommunications carriers. More recently, the Commission reformed this universal service support mechanism, enabling rate-of-return carriers to elect to receive fixed support or to continue to receive cost-based support. The new cost-based support is known as Connect America Fund Broadband Loop (CAF BLS) support. To administer the CAF BLS support mechanism, the Universal Service Administrative Company collects demand, cost, and revenue data from rate-of-return carriers that did not elect to receive fixed support. In addition, rate-of-return carriers are required to submit demand, cost, and revenue data to the Commission to ensure that their cost-based rates are just and reasonable.

The latest form for Multi-Association Group Plan Order, Parts 54 and 69 Filing Requirements for Regulation of Interstate Services of Non-Price Cap Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (LECs)and Interexchange Carriers (IXCs) expires 2028-11-30 and can be found here.