Sec.  54.303   Long term support.

   (a) Beginning January 1, 1998, an eligible telecommunications carrier that
   participates in the association Common Line pool shall receive Long Term
   Support. Beginning July 1, 2004, no carrier shall receive Long Term Support.

   (b) Long Term Support shall be calculated as prescribed in this paragraph.

   (1) To calculate the unadjusted base-level of Long Term Support for 1998,
   the Administrator shall calculate the difference between the projected
   Common  Line  revenue  requirement  of  association Common Line tariff
   participants projected to be recovered in 1997 and the sum of end user
   common  line  charges  and the 1997 projected revenue recovered by the
   association  Carrier  Common  Line  charge  as  calculated pursuant to
    Sec. 69.105(b)(2) of this chapter.

   (2) To calculate Long Term Support for calendar year 1998, the Administrator
   shall adjust the base-level of Long Term Support calculated in paragraph
   (b)(1) of this section to reflect the annual percentage change in the actual
   nationwide average unseparated loop cost per working loop as filed by the
   Administrator in the previous calendar year, pursuant to  Sec. 36.622 of this
   chapter.

   (3) To calculate Long Term Support for calendar year 1999, the Administrator
   shall adjust the level of support calculated in paragraph (b)(2) of this
   section to reflect the annual percentage change in the actual nationwide
   average unseparated loop cost per working loop as filed by the Administrator
   in the previous calendar year, pursuant to  Sec. 36.622 of this chapter.

   (4) Beginning January 1, 2000, the Administrator shall calculate Long Term
   Support  annually by adjusting the previous year's level of support to
   reflect the annual percentage change in the Department of Commerce's Gross
   Domestic Product-Chained Price Index (GDP-CPI).

   (5)(i) Beginning July 1, 2002, each carrier will be eligible to receive LTS
   equal to the lesser of:

   (A) The LTS for which the carrier would be eligible pursuant to paragraph
   (b)(4) of this section, or

   (B) Its common line revenue requirement as calculated in accordance with
   part 69 of this chapter, minus:

   ( 1 ) The study area revenues obtained from end-user common line charges at
   their allowable maximum as determined by  Sec.  Sec. 69.104(n) and 69.104(o) of this
   chapter;

   ( 2 ) The carrier common line charge revenues to be phased out pursuant to
    Sec. 69.105 of this chapter;

   ( 3 ) The special access surcharges pursuant to  Sec. 69.114 of this chapter; and

   ( 4 ) The line port costs in excess of basic analog service pursuant to
    Sec. 69.130 of this chapter.

   (ii) Under no circumstance shall a carrier have LTS that is less than zero.

   (iii) In calculating an LTS amount pursuant to paragraph (b)(5)(i)(B) of
   this section, the Administrator shall use data filed pursuant to  Sec. 54.903 of
   this chapter.

   [ 63 FR 2128 , Jan. 13, 1998;  63 FR 33586 , June 19, 1998, as amended at  67 FR 42506 , June 24, 2002;  67 FR 70702 , Nov. 26, 2002;  69 FR 25336 , May 6, 2004]