The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has released an Order announcing the availability of and providing further details on the Tariff Review Plans (TRPs) that all incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) must use to support revisions to the rates in their interstate access service tariffs. The TRPs for both price cap ILECs and rate-of-return ILECs are available at https://www.fcc.gov/2016-tariff-review-plans. Annual access charge tariff filings for 2016 must be filed with an effective date of July 1, 2016. ILECS are permitted to make their tariff filings either 15 or 7 days prior to the effective date of their tariffs, depending on the type of rate changes proposed in their tariffs. Accordingly, for 2016, ILECs filing tariffs on 15 days’ notice must make their annual tariff filings on June 16, 2016, while ILECs filing tariffs on 7 days’ notice must make their filings on June 24, 2016. The Bureau has established May 17, 2016, as the date that price cap ILECs must file short form TRPs, which is 45 days prior to the annual access charge tariff effective date.
