This flexibility will allow the Commission to prescribe inputs for switching costs according to switch type. The Bureau believes that it is important to allocate costs between host switches and remote switches so that the efficiencies generated by the use of host-remote arrangements are shared by all users in the wire centers benefiting from such arrangements. The Bureau believes, however, that this cost savings should be allocated among all of the wire centers covered by any host-remote arrangement. We expect that the Commission will determine a specific allocation as part of the input-selection process. We also encourage the proponents to configure their models to be able to accept individual switch cost calculations that are tailored to the specific characteristics of a particular switch, and are generated by a software module to be developed in the future, in the event that the Commission determines that using such individual cost calculations will serve the goals of universal service better than using cost curves.
Different switches have different limits on the capacity they are capable of supporting.
Proponents of both models agree that three factors are important in determining the capacity of a switch. The models should be capable of determining whether the busy-hour call attempt constraint has been reached by multiplying a value, specified by the model user, for the number of call attempts per busy hour by the number of business and residential lines in the wire center. Similarly, the models should be able to determine whether the busy-hour traffic constraint has been reached by multiplying a value, specified by the model user, for the average seconds of use per call by the number of business and residential lines in the wire center. The models should be capable of accepting different inputs for business and residential lines with respect to each of the latter two constraints. For example, the models should be able to process one input for the average seconds of use per business line call, and a separate input for the average seconds of use per residential line call.