Sec.  54.209   Annual reporting requirements for designated eligible
telecommunications carriers.

   (a) A common carrier designated under section 214(e)(6) as an eligible
   telecommunications carrier shall provide:

   (1) A progress report on its five-year service quality improvement plan,
   including maps detailing its progress towards meeting its plan targets, an
   explanation of how much universal service support was received and how it
   was  used  to  improve  signal  quality, coverage, or capacity, and an
   explanation regarding any network improvement targets that have not been
   fulfilled. The information shall be submitted at the wire center level;

   (2) Detailed information on any outage, as that term is defined in 47 CFR
   4.5, of at least 30 minutes in duration for each service area in which an
   eligible telecommunications carrier is designated for any facilities it
   owns, operates, leases, or otherwise utilizes that potentially affect

   (i) At least ten percent of the end users served in a designated service
   area; or

   (ii) A 911 special facility, as defined in 47 CFR 4.5(e).

   (iii) Specifically, the eligible telecommunications carrier's annual report
   must include information detailing:

   (A) The date and time of onset of the outage;

   (B) A brief description of the outage and its resolution;

   (C) The particular services affected;

   (D) The geographic areas affected by the outage;

   (E) Steps taken to prevent a similar situation in the future; and

   (F) The number of customers affected.

   (3) The number of requests for service from potential customers within the
   eligible telecommunications carrier's service areas that were unfulfilled
   during the past year. The carrier shall also detail how it attempted to
   provide  service  to  those  potential  customers,  as  set  forth  in
    Sec. 54.202(a)(1)(i);

   (4) The number of complaints per 1,000 handsets or lines;

   (5) Certification that it is complying with applicable service quality
   standards and consumer protection rules;

   (6)  Certification  that  the carrier is able to function in emergency
   situations as set forth in  Sec. 54.201(a)(2);

   (7) Certification that the carrier is offering a local usage plan comparable
   to that offered by the incumbent LEC in the relevant service areas; and

   (8) Certification that the carrier acknowledges that the Commission may
   require it to provide equal access to long distance carriers in the event
   that no other eligible telecommunications carrier is providing equal access
   within the service area.

   (b) Filing deadlines. In order for a common carrier designated under section
   214(e)(6) to continue to receive support for the following calendar year, or
   retain its eligible telecommunications carrier designation, it must submit
   the annual reporting information in paragraph (a) no later than October 1,
   2006,  and  thereafter  annually  by  October 1 of each year. Eligible
   telecommunications carriers that file their reports after the October 1
   deadline shall receive support pursuant to the following schedule:

   (1) Eligible telecommunication carriers that file no later than January 1 of
   the subsequent year shall receive support for the second, third and fourth
   quarters of the subsequent year.

   (2) Eligible telecommunication carriers that file no later than April 1 of
   the subsequent year shall receive support for the third and fourth quarters
   of the subsequent year.

   (3) Eligible telecommunication carriers that file no later than July 1 of
   the subsequent year shall receive support for the fourth quarter of the
   subsequent year.

   [ 70 FR 29978 , May 25, 2005]

   Effective Date Note:   At  70 FR 29978 , May 25, 2005,  Sec. 54.209 was added. This
   text contains information collection and recordkeeping requirements and will
   not  become  effective  until approval has been given by the Office of
   Manangement and Budget.

Subpart D—Universal Service Support for High Cost Areas