CenturyLink wants to consolidate ILEC operations in states where it has multiple operating companies

CenturyLink has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to merge some or all of its incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) operating companies to reduce the number of Study Areas in each state it serves. In an FCC filing, CenturyLink said that ILECs in each Study Area will initially be able to operate under a single tariff with uniform Transitional Intrastate Access Service, Tandem and End Office Access Service, and Dedicated Access rates (a.k.a. "Transitional Access Rates"), participate in a single statewide Federal access tariff filing, and consolidate their eligible recovery before merging. If the FCC accepts its proposal, CenturyLink expects consolidations and restructurings will initially occur in connection with the nine ILECs it operates in Louisiana.

"In Louisiana, all nine of the CenturyLink Louisiana ILECs first will consolidate their rate structures in a single tariff by March 2016 and participate in a single Federal access tariff filing on July 1, 2016," CenturyLink said. "They subsequently will be merged with and into a single corporate entity that will assume all regulatory duties pertaining to CenturyLink's provision of ILEC service in the state."