§  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
   § 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 § 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
   § 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 § § 69.104(n) and
   69.104(o) of this chapter;

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

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

   ( 4 ) The line port costs in excess of basic analog service pursuant to
   § 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
   § 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]