Wireline Competition Bureau Announces Timeline for Completion of Urban Rates Survey

On April 3, 2013, the Wireline Competition Bureau adopted an order setting the form and content for a survey of urban rates for fixed voice and fixed broadband residential services.

The information collected in this survey will be used to establish a rate floor for voice services that eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) receiving high- cost loop support (HCLS) or frozen high-cost support must meet to receive their full support amounts, and to develop benchmarks to help evaluate whether rates for fixed voice and broadband services in rural areas are reasonably comparable to offerings in urban areas. To obtain statistically valid samples, the Bureau will be collecting the rates offered by providers of fixed services identified using the most recent FCC Form 477 data in 500 urban Census tracts. There will be separate samples for fixed voice and fixed broadband services. Because some providers serve many urban Census tracts, these providers may receive surveys for multiple Census tracts.

Notifications that a provider is required to complete an online survey will be sent via email to each selected provider’s FCC contact person and certifying official on or around December 16, 2013. The email notification will provide detailed information on how to access and complete the survey online report form and how to obtain technical assistance. Completed surveys will be due on January 17, 2014.