(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this section, a tariff for access service shall be filed with this Commission for a two-year period. Such tariffs shall be filed with a scheduled effective date of July 1. Such tariff filings shall be limited to rate level changes.

(b) The requirements imposed by paragraph (a) of this section shall not preclude the filing of revisions to those annual tariffs that will become effective on dates other than July 1.

(c) Any access service tariff filing, the filing of any petitions for rejection, investigation or suspension and the filing of any responses to such petitions shall comply with the applicable rules of this Commission relating to tariff filings.

(d) The association shall file a tariff as agent for all telephone companies that participate in an association tariff.

(e) A telephone company or group of telephone companies may file a tariff that is not an association tariff. Such a tariff may cross-reference the association tariff for some access elements and include separately computed charges of such company or companies for other elements. Any such tariff must comply with the requirements hereinafter provided:

(1) Such a tariff must cross reference association charges for the Carrier Common Line and End User Common Line element or elements if such company or companies participate in the pooling of revenues and revenue requirements for such elements.

(2) Such a tariff that cross-references an association charge for any end user access element must cross-reference association charges for all end user access elements;

(3) Such a tariff that cross-references an association charge for any carrier's carrier access element other than the Carrier Common Line element must cross-reference association charges for all carrier's carrier access charges other than the Carrier Common Line element;

(4) Except for charges subject to price cap regulation as that term is defined in §61.3(v) of this chapter, any charge in such a tariff that is not an association charge must be computed to reflect the combined investment and expenses of all companies that participate in such a charge;

(5) A telephone company or companies that elect to file such a tariff for 1984 access charges shall notify AT&T on or before the 40th day after the release of the Commission order adopting this part;

(6) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(12) of this section, a telephone company or companies that elect to file such a tariff shall notify the association not later than March 1 of the year the tariff becomes effective, if such company or companies did not file such a tariff in the preceding biennial period or cross-reference association charges in such preceding period that will be cross-referenced in the new tariff. A telephone company or companies that elect to file such a tariff not in the biennial period shall file its tariff to become effective July 1 for a period of one year. Thereafter, such telephone company or companies must file its tariff pursuant to paragraphs (f)(1) or (f)(2) of this section.

(7) Such a tariff shall not contain charges for any access elements that are disaggregated or deaveraged within a study area that is used for purposes of jurisdictional separations, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

(8) Such a tariff shall not contain charges included in the billing and collection category.

(9) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(12) of this section, a telephone company or group of affiliated telephone companies that elects to file its own Carrier Common Line tariff pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section shall notify the association not later than March 1 of the year the tariff becomes effective that it will no longer participate in the association tariff. A telephone company or group of affiliated telephone companies that elects to file its own Carrier Common Line tariff for one of its study areas shall file its own Carrier Common Line tariff(s) for all of its study areas.

(10) Any data supporting a tariff that is not an association tariff shall be consistent with any data that the filing carrier submitted to the association.

(11) Any changes in Association common line tariff participation and Long Term and Transitional Support resulting from the merger or acquisition of telephone properties are to be made effective on the next annual access tariff filing effective date following consummation of the merger or acquisition transaction, in accordance with the provisions of §69.3(e)(9).

(12)

(i) A local exchange carrier, or a group of affiliated carriers in which at least one carrier is engaging in access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter, shall file its own access tariffs within forty-five (45) days of commencing access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter, or within forty-five (45) days of December 29, 2011 if the local exchange carrier on that date is engaged in access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter.

(ii) Notwithstanding paragraphs (e)(6) and (e)(9) of this section, a local exchange carrier, or a group of affiliated carriers in which at least one carrier is engaging in access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter, must withdraw from all interstate access tariffs issued by the association within forty-five (45) days of engaging in access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter, or within forty-five (45) days of December 29, 2011 if the local exchange carrier on that date is engaged in access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter.

(iii) Any such carrier(s) shall notify the association when it begins access stimulation, or on December 29, 2011 if it is engaged in access stimulation, as that term is defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter, on that date, of its intent to leave the association tariffs within forty-five (45) days.

(iv) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, if a rate-of-return local exchange carrier is engaged in Access Stimulation, or a group of affiliated carriers in which at least one carrier is engaging in Access Stimulation, as defined in §61.3(bbb) of this chapter, it shall:

(A) Within 45 days of commencing Access Stimulation, or within 45 days of November 27, 2019, whichever is later, file tariff revisions removing from its tariff terminating switched access tandem switching and terminating switched access tandem transport access charges assessable to an Interexchange Carrier for any traffic between the tandem and the local exchange carrier's terminating end office or equivalent; and

(B) Within 45 days of commencing Access Stimulation, or within 45 days of November 27, 2019, whichever is later, the local exchange carrier shall not file a tariffed rate for terminating switched access tandem switching or terminating switched access tandem transport access charges that is assessable to an Interexchange Carrier for any traffic between the tandem and the local exchange carrier's terminating end office or equivalent.

(f)

(1) A tariff for access service provided by a telephone company that is required to file an access tariff pursuant to §61.38 of this Chapter shall be filed for a biennial period and with a scheduled effective date of July 1 of any even numbered year.

(2) A tariff for access service provided by a telephone company that may file an access tariff pursuant to §61.39 of this Chapter shall be filed for a biennial period and with a scheduled effective date of July 1 of any odd numbered year. Any such telephone company that does not elect to file an access tariff pursuant to the §61.39 procedures, and does not participate in the Association tariff, and does not elect to become subject to price cap regulation, must file an access tariff pursuant to §61.38 for a biennial period and with a scheduled effective date of July 1 of any even numbered year.

(3) For purposes of computing charges for access elements other than Common Line elements to be effective on July 1 of any even-numbered year, the association may compute rate changes based upon statistical methods which represent a reasonable equivalent to the cost support information otherwise required under part 61 of this chapter.

(g) The following rules apply to telephone company participation in the Association common line pool for telephone companies involved in a merger or acquisition.

(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of §69.3(e)(9), any Association common line tariff participant that is party to a merger or acquisition may continue to participate in the Association common line tariff.

(2) Notwithstanding the requirements of §69.3(e)(9), any Association common line tariff participant that is party to a merger or acquisition may include other telephone properties involved in the transaction in the Association common line tariff, provided that the net addition of common lines to the Association common line tariff resulting from the transaction in not greater than 50,000, and provided further that, if any common lines involved in a merger or acquisition are returned to the Association common line tariff, all of the common lines involved in the merger or acquisition must be returned to the Association common line tariff.

(3) Telephone companies involved in mergers or acquisitions that wish to have more than 50,000 common lines reenter the Association common line pool must request a waiver of §69.3(e)(9). If the telephone company has met all other legal obligations, the waiver request will be deemed granted on the sixty-first (61st) day from the date of public notice inviting comment on the requested waiver unless:

(i) The merger or acquisition involves one or more partial study areas;

(ii) The waiver includes a request for confidentiality of some or all of the materials supporting the request;

(iii) The waiver includes a request to return only a portion of the telephone properties involved in the transaction to the Association common line tariff;

(iv) The Commission rejects the waiver request prior to the expiration of the sixty-day period;

(v) The Commission requests additional time or information to process the waiver application prior to the expiration of the sixty-day period; or

(vi) A party, in a timely manner, opposes a waiver request or seeks conditional approval of the waiver in response to our public notice of the waiver request.

(h) Local exchange carriers subject to price cap regulation as that term is defined in §61.3(ee) of this chapter, shall file with this Commission a price cap tariff for access service for an annual period. Such tariffs shall be filed to meet the notice requirements of §61.58 of this chapter, with a scheduled effective date of July 1. Such tariff filings shall be limited to changes in the Price Cap Indexes, rate level changes (with corresponding adjustments to the affected Actual Price Indexes and Service Band Indexes), and the incorporation of new services into the affected indexes as required by §61.49 of this chapter.

(i) The following rules apply to the withdrawal from Association tariffs under the provision of paragraph (e)(6) or (e)(9) of this section or both by telephone companies electing to file price cap tariffs pursuant to paragraph (h) of this section.

(1) In addition to the withdrawal provisions of paragraphs (e)(6) and (e)(9) of this section, a telephone company or group of affiliated companies that participates in one or more association tariffs during the current tariff year and that elects to file price cap tariffs or optional incentive regulation tariffs effective July 1 of the following tariff year shall notify the association by March 1 of the following tariff year that it is withdrawing from association tariffs, subject to the terms of this section, to participate in price cap regulation or optional incentive regulation.

(2) The Association shall maintain records of such withdrawals sufficient to discharge its obligations under these Rules and to detect efforts by such companies or their affiliates to rejoin any Association tariffs in violation of the provisions of paragraph (i)(4) of this section.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (e) (3), (6), and (9) of this section, in the event a telephone company withdraws from all Association tariffs for the purpose of filing price cap tariffs or optional incentive plan tariffs, such company shall exclude from such withdrawal all “average schedule” affiliates and all affiliates so excluded shall be specified in the withdrawal. However, such company may include one or more “average schedule” affiliates in price cap regulation or optional incentive plan regulation provided that each price cap or optional incentive plan affiliate relinquishes “average schedule” status and withdraws from all Association tariffs and any tariff filed pursuant to §61.39(b)(2) of this chapter. See generally §§69.605(c), 61.39(b) of this chapter; MTS and WATS Market Structure: Average Schedule Companies, Report and Order, 103 FCC 2d 1026-1027 (1986).

(4) If a telephone company elects to withdraw from Association tariffs and thereafter becomes subject to price cap regulation as that term is defined in §61.3(v) of this chapter, neither such telephone company nor any of its withdrawing affiliates shall thereafter be permitted to participate in any Association tariffs.

(j) [Reserved]

[48 FR 10358, Mar. 11, 1983]