1、99 Federal Communications Commission Pt. 54 two years in designing any of the ac-counting or reporting systems under review in the biennial audit. (d) The independent auditor selected by the Bell operating company to con-duct the audit shall develop a detailed audit program based on the final audit
2、requirements and submit it to the Fed-eral/State joint audit team. The Fed-eral/State joint audit team shall have 30 days to review the audit program and determine any modifications that shall be incorporated into the final audit program. (e) During the course of the biennial audit, the independent
3、auditor, among other things, shall: (1) Inform the Federal/State joint audit team of any revisions to the final audit program or to the scope of the audit. (2) Notify the Federal/State joint audit team of any meetings with the Bell operating company or its separate affiliate in which audit findings
4、are discussed. (3) Submit to the Chief, Enforcement Bureau, any accounting or rule inter-pretations necessary to complete the audit. 62 FR 2926, Jan. 21, 1997, as amended at 67 FR 13226, Mar. 21, 2002 53.213 Audit analysis and evaluation. (a) Within 60 dates after the end of the audit period, but pr
5、ior to dis-cussing the audit findings with the Bell operating company or the separate af-filiate, the independent auditor shall submit a draft of the audit report to the Federal/State joint audit team. (1) The Federal/State joint audit team shall have 45 days to review the audit findings and audit w
6、orkpapers, and offer its recommendations con-cerning the conduct of the audit or the audit findings to the independent audi-tor. Exceptions of the Federal/State joint audit team to the finding and conclusions of the independent auditor that remain unresolved shall be in-cluded in the final audit rep
7、ort. (2) Within 15 days after receiving the Federal/State joint audit teams rec-ommendations and making appropriate revisions to the audit report, the inde-pendent auditor shall submit the audit report to the Bell operating company for its response to the audit findings and send a copy to the Federa
8、l/State joint audit team. The independent auditor may request additional time to perform additional audit work as rec-ommended by the Federal/State joint audit team. (b) Within 30 days after receiving the audit report, the Bell operating com-pany will respond to the audit findings and send a copy of
9、 its response to the Federal/State joint audit team. The Bell operating companys response shall be included as part of the final audit report along with any reply that the independent auditor wishes to make to the response. (c) Within 10 days after receiving the response of the Bell operating com-pa
10、ny, the independent auditor shall make available for public inspection the final audit report by filing it with the Commission and the state regu-latory agencies participating on the joint audit team. (d) Interested parties may file com-ments with the Commission within 60 days after the audit report
11、 is made available for public inspection. 62 FR 2927, Jan. 21, 1997 Subpart DManufacturing by Bell Operating Companies 53.301 Reserved Subpart EElectronic Publishing by Bell Operating Companies 53.401 Reserved Subpart FAlarm Monitoring Services 53.501 Reserved PART 54UNIVERSAL SERVICE Subpart AGener
12、al Information Sec. 54.1 Basis and purpose. 54.5 Terms and definitions. 54.7 Intended use of federal universal serv-ice support. 54.8 Prohibition on participation: suspen-sion and debarment. VerDate Mar2010 13:48 Nov 09, 2010 Jkt 220202 PO 00000 Frm 00109 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:SGML220202.XXX 220202er
13、owe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with CFRProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-100 47 CFR Ch. I (10110 Edition) Pt. 54 Subpart BServices Designated for Support 54.101 Supported services for rural, insular and high cost areas. Subpart CCarriers Eligibl
14、e for Universal Service Support 54.201 Definition of eligible telecommuni-cations carriers, generally. 54.202 Additional requirements for Commis-sion designation of eligible telecommuni-cations carriers. 54.203 Designation of eligible telecommuni-cations carriers for unserved areas. 54.205 Relinquis
15、hment of universal service. 54.207 Service areas. 54.209 Annual reporting requirements for designated eligible telecommunications carriers. Subpart DUniversal Service Support for High Cost Areas 54.301 Local switching support. 54.303 Long term support. 54.305 Sale or transfer of exchanges. 54.307 Su
16、pport to a competitive eligible telecommunications carrier. 54.309 Calculation and distribution of for-ward-looking support for non-rural car-riers. 54.311 Interim hold-harmless support for non-rural carriers. 54.313 State certification of support for non- rural carriers. 54.314 State certification
17、of support for rural carriers. 54.315 Disaggregation and targeting of high- cost support. 54.316 Rate comparability review and cer-tification for areas served by non-rural carriers. Subpart EUniversal Service Support for Low Income Consumers 54.400 Terms and definitions. 54.401 Lifeline defined. 54.
18、403 Lifeline support amount. 54.405 Carrier obligation to offer Lifeline. 54.407 Reimbursement for offering Lifeline. 54.409 Consumer qualification for Lifeline. 54.410 Certification and Verification of Con-sumer Qualification for Lifeline. 54.411 Link Up program defined. 54.413 Reimbursement for re
19、venue forgone in offering a Link Up program. 54.415 Consumer qualification for Link Up. 54.416 Certification of consumer Qualifica-tion for Link Up. 54.417 Recordkeeping requirements. 54.418 Digital television transition notices by eligible telecommunications carriers. Subpart FUniversal Service Sup
20、port for Schools and Libraries 54.500 Terms and definitions. 54.501 Eligibility for services provided by telecommunications carriers. 54.502 Supported telecommunications serv-ices. 54.503 Other supported special services. 54.504 Requests for services. 54.505 Discounts. 54.506 Internal connections. 5
21、4.507 Cap. 54.508 Technology plans. 54.509 Adjustments to the discount matrix. 54.511 Ordering services. 54.513 Resale and transfer of services. 54.514 Payment for discounted service. 54.515 Distributing support. 54.516 Auditing. 54.517 Services provided by non-tele-communications carriers. 54.518 S
22、upport for wide area networks. 54.519 State telecommunications networks. 54.520 Childrens Internet Protection Act certifications required from recipients of discounts under the federal universal service support mechanism for schools and libraries. 54.522 Eligible services list. 54.523 Payment for th
23、e non-discount portion of supported services. Subpart GUniversal Service Support for Health Care Providers 54.601 Eligibility. 54.603 Competitive bid requirements. 54.604 Existing contracts. 54.605 Determining the urban rate. 54.607 Determining the rural rate. 54.609 Calculating support. 54.611 Dist
24、ributing support. 54.613 Limitations on supported services for rural health care providers. 54.615 Obtaining services. 54.617 Resale. 54.619 Audits and recordkeeping. 54.621 Access to advanced telecommuni-cations and information services. 54.623 Cap. 54.625 Support for services beyond the max-imum s
25、upported distance for rural health care providers. Subpart HAdministration 54.701 Administrator of universal service support mechanisms. 54.702 Administrators functions and re-sponsibilities. 54.703 The Administrators Board of Direc-tors. 54.704 The Administrators Chief Executive Officer. 54.705 Com
26、mittees of the Administrators Board of Directors. VerDate Mar2010 13:48 Nov 09, 2010 Jkt 220202 PO 00000 Frm 00110 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:SGML220202.XXX 220202erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with CFRProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-101 Federal C
27、ommunications Commission 54.5 54.706 Contributions. 54.707 Audit controls. 54.708 De minimis exemption. 54.709 Computations of required contribu-tions to universal service support mecha-nisms. 54.711 Contributor reporting requirements. 54.712 Contributor recovery of universal service costs from end
28、users. 54.713 Contributors failure to report or to contribute. 54.715 Administrative expenses of the Ad-ministrator. 54.717 Audits of the Administrator. Subpart IReview of Decisions Issued by the Administrator 54.719 Parties permitted to seek review of Administrator decisions. 54.720 Filing deadline
29、s. 54.721 General filing requirements. 54.722 Review by the Wireline Competition Bureau or the Commission. 54.723 Standard of review. 54.724 Time periods for Commission ap-proval of Administrator decisions. 54.725 Universal service disbursements dur-ing pendency of a request for review and Administr
30、ator decision. Subpart JInterstate Access Universal Service Support Mechanism 54.800 Terms and definitions. 54.801 General. 54.802 Obligations of local exchange carriers and the Administrator. 54.803 Universal service zones. 54.804 Preliminary minimum access uni-versal service support for a study ar
31、ea calculated by the Administrator. 54.805 Zone and study area above bench-mark revenues calculated by the Admin-istrator. 54.806 Calculation by the Administrator of interstate access universal service sup-port for areas served by price cap local exchange carriers. 54.807 Interstate access universal
32、 service support. 54.808 Transition provisions and periodic calculation. 54.809 Carrier certification. Subpart KInterstate Common Line Sup-port Mechanism for Rate-of-Return Carriers 54.901 Calculation of Interstate Common Line Support. 54.902 Calculation of Interstate Common Line Support for transfe
33、rred exchanges. 54.903 Obligations of rate-of-return carriers and the Administrator. 54.904 Carrier certification. AUTHORITY: 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 201, 205, 214, and 254 unless otherwise noted. SOURCE: 62 FR 32948, June 17, 1997, unless otherwise noted. Subpart AGeneral Information 54.1 Basis and
34、purpose. (a) Basis. These rules are issued pur-suant to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. (b) Purpose. The purpose of these rules is to implement section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amend-ed, 47 USC 254. 54.5 Terms and definitions. Terms used in this part have the fol-lowing
35、meanings: Act. The term Act refers to the Communications Act of 1934, as amend-ed. Administrator. The term Adminis-trator shall refer to the Universal Service Administrative Company that is an independent subsidiary of the Na-tional Exchange Carrier Association, Inc., and that has been appointed the
36、 permanent Administrator of the fed-eral universal service support mecha-nisms. Competitive eligible telecommunications carrier. A competitive eligible tele-communications carrier is a carrier that meets the definition of an eligi-ble telecommunications carrier below and does not meet the definition
37、 of an incumbent local exchange carrier in 51.5 of this chapter. Contributor. The term contributor shall refer to an entity required to con-tribute to the universal service support mechanisms pursuant to 54.706. Eligible telecommunications carrier. Eligible telecommunications carrier means a carrier
38、 designated as such by a state commission pursuant to 54.201. Incumbent local exchange carrier. In-cumbent local exchange carrier or ILEC has the same meaning as that term is defined in 51.5 of this chapter. Information service. Information service is the offering of a capability for generating, acq
39、uiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available informa-tion via telecommunications, and in-cludes electronic publishing, but does VerDate Mar2010 13:48 Nov 09, 2010 Jkt 220202 PO 00000 Frm 00111 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:SGML220202.XXX 220202erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD
40、with CFRProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-102 47 CFR Ch. I (10110 Edition) 54.5 not include any use of any such capa-bility for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications sys-tem or the management of a tele-communicat
41、ions service. Interconnected VoIP Provider. An interconnected VoIP provider is an entity that provides interconnected VoIP service, as that term is defined in section 9.3 of these rules. Internet access. Internet access in-cludes the following elements: (1) The transmission of information as common
42、carriage; (2) The transmission of information as part of a gateway to an information service, when that transmission does not involve the generation or alter-ation of the content of information, but may include data transmission, ad-dress translation, protocol conversion, billing management, introdu
43、ctory in-formation content, and navigational systems that enable users to access in-formation services, and that do not af-fect the presentation of such informa-tion to users; and (3) Electronic mail services (e-mail). Interstate telecommunication. Inter-state telecommunication is a commu-nication o
44、r transmission: (1) From any State, Territory, or pos-session of the United States (other than the Canal zone), or the District of Columbia, to any other State, Terri-tory, or possession of the United States (other than the Canal Zone), or the District of Columbia, (2) From or to the United States t
45、o or from the Canal Zone, insofar as such communication or transmission takes place within the United States, or (3) Between points within the United States but through a foreign country. Interstate transmission. Interstate transmission is the same as interstate telecommunication. Intrastate telecom
46、munication. Intra-state telecommunication is a commu-nication or transmission from within any State, Territory, or possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia to a location within that same State, Territory, or possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Intrastate
47、 transmission. Intrastate transmission is the same as intrastate telecommunication. LAN. LAN is a local area network, which is a set of high-speed links con-necting devices, generally computers, on a single shared medium, usually on the users premises. Rate-of-return carrier. Rate-of-return carrier
48、shall refer to any incumbent local exchange carrier not subject to price cap regulation as that term is de-fined in 61.3(x) of this chapter. Rural area. For purposes of the schools and libraries universal support mechanism, a rural area is a non-metropolitan county or county equiva-lent, as defined
49、in the Office of Man-agement and Budgets (OMB) Revised Standards for Defining Metropolitan Areas in the 1990s and identifiable from the most recent Metropolitan Statis-tical Area (MSA) list released by OMB, or any contiguous non-urban Census Tract or Block Numbered Area within an MSA-listed metropolitan county identified in the most recent Gold-smith Modification publ
