The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has issued an Order setting forth the Tariff Review Plans (TRPs) for incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to substantiate their interstate access service tariff revisions filed in 2021. The 2021 TRPs implement the transitional rate changes and recovery rules adopted in the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order and the 2020 8YY Access Charge Reform Order. Without this annual TRP filing, ILECs could over-recover for costs (e.g., Telecommunications Relay Service costs) as of July 1, 2021. TRP formats for the annual filings are developed for the specific circumstances of the tariff year in which the revised rates will become effective. Filing dates and comment periods for this year’s annual access charge filings were released in an earlier tariff order. In addition to outlining the TRPs, the Order waives various FCC rules (i.e., Sections 69.3(a), 51.907(i)(2)(i)-(ii) and 51.909(m)(2)(i)-(ii)) to the extent waiver is necessary to implement non-rate-level reforms associated with various FCC orders.
