Texas Administrative Code › Title 16 - ECONOMIC REGULATION › Part 2 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS › Chapter 26 - SUBSTANTIVE RULES APPLICABLE TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDERS › Subchapter J - COSTS, RATES AND TARIFFS › Section 26.205 - Rates for Intrastate Access Services

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) General. Dominant certificated
				  telecommunications utility (DCTU) rates for intrastate access services shall be
				  established in accordance with the provisions of this section. Nothing in this
				  section precludes a DCTU from offering new, experimental, promotional, or
				  competitive services in accordance with other provisions of this part
				  authorizing such offerings.
(b)
				  Access services. Each DCTU's tariff must include the recurring and nonrecurring
				  charges for all access services offered by the DCTU. A DCTU may cross-reference
				  its federal tariff in its state tariff if its intrastate switched access rates
				  are the same as its interstate switched access rates. A DCTU is not required to
				  include in its access tariff any access service that its network is
				  technologically incapable of providing. A DCTU must include in its access
				  tariff any access service which is provided on a special assembly basis if the
				  service is provided to more than three customers or if the service is provided
				  at more than three locations. DCTUs are prohibited from charging intrastate end
				  user common line charges, intrastate subscriber line charges, or similar
				  intrastate end user charges.
(c)
				  Access rates. The structure and rates for all DCTUs' intrastate switched access
				  services shall be established in accordance with the following requirements.
(1) Terminating common carrier line (CCL).
				  Each DCTU's terminating CCL rate shall not exceed $.08 per premium terminating
				  rated access minute of use.
(2)
				  Premium rates. The requirements of this paragraph apply to Southwestern Bell
				  Telephone Company effective December 14, 1994 unless otherwise ordered by the
				  commission. Premium access rates shall apply only to those switched access
				  minutes that:
(A) terminate via Feature Group
				  B;
(B) originate or terminate via
				  Feature Group C;
(C) originate from
				  an equal access end office via any switched access feature group;
(D) terminate to an equal access end office
				  via any switched access feature group; or
(E) originate from a non-equal access end
				  office and are routed over Feature Group D tandem connections.
(3) Local switching. There shall
				  be one premium local switching rate element.
(4) Local transport rate structure and
				  pricing. Local transport rates shall not contain unreasonable distance
				  sensitivity. Each DCTU shall comply with subparagraphs (A) -
(I) of this paragraph, unless indicated
				  otherwise.
(A) Transport services. Each DCTU
				  that is subject to this subparagraph shall offer transport services that
				  consist of the following elements: entrance facilities, direct-trunked
				  transport, tandem-switched transport, dedicated signaling transport, and a
				  residual charge.
(B) Entrance
				  facilities.
(i) All access customers that use
				  the DCTU's facilities between the customer-designated point of demarcation and
				  the serving wire center (SWC) shall be assessed a flat-rated entrance
				  facilities charge based upon the service level ordered. Dominant certificated
				  telecommunications utilities shall offer entrance facilities at voicegrade, DS1
				  and DS3 service levels.
(ii) Rates
				  for entrance facilities shall be set no lower than 105% of the long run
				  incremental cost (LRIC) for each service level stated in clause (i) of this
				  subparagraph.
(iii) The DCTU may
				  charge distance-sensitive rates for entrance facilities as enumerated in
				  subparagraph (H) of this paragraph. Mileage shall be measured as airline
				  mileage between the point of demarcation and the SWC.
(C) Direct-trunked transport.
(i) All access customers that use the DCTU's
				  direct-trunked transport facilities shall be assessed a flat-rated
				  direct-trunked transport charge based upon the service level ordered. Dominant
				  certificated telecommunications utilities shall offer direct trunked transport
				  at voice grade, DS1 and DS3 service levels.
(ii) Rates for direct-trunked transport
				  facilities shall be set no lower than 105% of the LRIC for each service level
				  in clause (i) of this subparagraph. Additionally, these rates shall be set
				  consistent with the requirement in subparagraph (G) of this
				  paragraph.
(iii) The DCTU may
				  charge distance sensitive rates for direct-trunked transport, as enumerated in
				  subparagraph (H) of this paragraph. Mileage shall be measured as airline
				  mileage between the SWC and end office or between customer-designated
				  points.
(iv) Centralized equal
				  access providers are not required to provide direct-trunked transport services.
				  DCTUs that do not have measurement and billing capabilities at their end
				  offices are not required to provide direct-trunked transport services at those
				  end offices.
(D)
				  Tandem-switched transport.
(i) All access
				  customers that use the DCTU's tandem-switched transport facilities shall be
				  assessed the following rates:
(I) a per
				  access minute tandem switching charge; and
(II) a per access minute tandem-switched
				  transmission charge.
(ii) The rates for tandem-switched transport
				  facilities shall be set no lower than 105% of the LRIC. Additionally, these
				  rates shall be set consistent with the requirements in subparagraph (G) of this
				  paragraph.
(iii) The DCTU may
				  charge distance-sensitive rates for tandem-switched transmission elements, as
				  enumerated in subparagraph (H) of this paragraph. Mileage shall be measured as
				  airline mileage between the SWC and the end office, unless the customer has
				  ordered tandem-switched transport between the tandem office and the end office,
				  in which case mileage shall be measured as airline mileage between the tandem
				  office and the end office.
(E) Dedicated Signaling Transport: Dedicated
				  signaling transport shall be provided in accordance with the following
				  requirements:
(i) Dedicated signaling
				  transport shall consist of two subelements, a signaling link charge and a
				  signaling transfer point (STP) port termination charge.
(ii) A flat-rated signaling link charge per
				  unit of capacity shall be assessed upon all access customers that use
				  facilities between the access customer's common channel signaling network and
				  the DCTU's signaling transfer point or equivalent facilities. If the DCTU
				  charges distance-sensitive rates for the signaling link, mileage shall be
				  measured as airline mileage between the access customer's common channel
				  signaling network and the DCTU's signaling transfer point.
(iii) A flat-rated STP port termination
				  charge per port shall be assessed upon all access customers that use dedicated
				  signaling transport.
(iv) Rates for
				  dedicated signaling transport facilities shall be set no lower than 105% of the
				  LRIC.
(F) Residual
				  charge. The DCTU shall assess only one residual charge for each local switching
				  access minute of use sold to those customers interconnecting with the DCTU's
				  switched access network by ordering from the DCTU's access tariff.
(G) Transport rate differences. The rate
				  differences between tandem-switched transport, DS1 direct-trunked transport and
				  DS3 direct-trunked transport, shall be reasonable. The difference between the
				  rate and 105% of the LRIC for DS1 direct-trunked transport shall not exceed
				  150% of the difference between the rate and 105% of the LRIC for DS3
				  direct-trunked transport, on an equivalent unit of capacity basis. The
				  difference between the rate and 105% of the LRIC for DS0 direct-trunked
				  transport shall not exceed 150% of the difference between the rate and 105% of
				  the LRIC for DS3 direct-trunked transport, on an equivalent unit of capacity
				  basis. The difference between the rate and 105% of the LRIC for tandem-switched
				  transport shall not exceed 150% of the difference between the rate and 105% of
				  the LRIC for DS3 direct-trunked transport, on an equivalent unit of capacity
				  basis. To determine the rate and LRIC relationships between the transport
				  options, the tandem switch LRIC must be included in the LRIC for the
				  tandem-switched transport option.
(H) Distance sensitive rates. If the DCTU
				  employs distance-sensitive rates for entrance facilities, direct-trunked
				  transport and/or tandem-switched transmission elements, they shall be assessed
				  in the following manner:
(i) a
				  distance-sensitive component shall be charged for the use of the transmission
				  facilities, including intermediate transmission circuit equipment between the
				  end points of the transmission link; and
(ii) a nondistance-sensitive component shall
				  be charged for the use of the circuit equipment at the ends of the transmission
				  link.
(I) Tariff
				  provisions.
(i) Tariffs shall not contain
				  resale or sharing restrictions for switched transport services.
(ii) Initial tariffs filed in compliance with
				  this section may be filed pursuant to §
														RSA
				  26.209 of this title (relating to New and
				  Experimental Services). Initial tariff amendments shall not be permitted to
				  become effective before expanded interconnection for switched transport
				  services becomes available from the DCTU for those DCTUs subject to substantive
				  rule §
														RSA
				  26.271 of this title (relating to Expanded
				  Interconnection).
(iii) DCTUs not
				  subject to substantive rule §
														RSA
				  26.215 of this title (relating to Long Run
				  Incremental Cost Methodology for Dominant Certificated Telecommunications
				  Utility (DCTU) Services) may propose charges that are the same as the charges
				  in effect for the carrier's interstate provision of the same service or adopt
				  the switched transport rates of another DCTU that are developed pursuant to the
				  requirements of this section.
(iv)
				  Within 120 days after the completion of LRIC cost studies required by
				  substantive rule §
														RSA
				  26.215 of this title, any DCTU subject to
				  that rule shall file tariff amendments in order to revise its local transport
				  rates in conformity with this section based upon the new LRIC cost
				  studies.
(5) Lower rates. Nothing in this subsection
				  prevents a DCTU from charging a lower rate for any rate element than the amount
				  specified herein; however, no DCTU shall charge any rate for switched access
				  that is not contained in its switched access tariff.
(6) Rounding. The rates for all access
				  services shall be assessed using conventional rounding of fractional units of
				  applicable billing units, i.e., a fraction equal to or greater than 0.5 of one
				  unit will be rounded up to the next higher whole unit, while fractions less
				  than 0.5 of one unit will be rounded down to the next lower whole unit, except
				  that local transport mileage may be rounded up to the next whole
				  mile.