[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47582-47583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22904]



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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[CC Docket No. 80-286; DA-95-1927]


Letter to Telephone Exchange Service Providers Giving Notice of 
Proposed Release of Data Submitted by Providers

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In response to several requests, the Common Carrier Bureau 
(Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) intends 
to release a compiled database comprising non-confidential subscriber 
and financial information submitted by local exchange carriers (LECs) 
is response to an Order, released December 1, 1994. The individual non-
confidential responses of the LECs have already been released to the 
public. To guard against the possibility that LEC information 
previously claimed to be confidential is included in the database to be 
released, the Bureau is taking two steps. As described more fully below 
in a letter from Kenneth P. Moran, Chief of the Bureau's Accounting and 
Audits Division, the Bureau, first, is excluding from the database to 
be released a limited number of data fields that a large number of LECs 
claimed to contain confidential information. Second, the Bureau is 
requesting LECs that have previously claimed fields confidential in 
addition to those generally being excluded from the database to 
reassert those claims not later than September 25, 1995. Failure to 
reassert such claims will be deemed to constitute waiver of objection 
to release of such information designated confidential solely to the 
extent that such information claimed confidential is included in the 
non-confidential database to be released.

ADDRESSES: Responses should be directed to the Federal Communications 
Commission, Common Carrier Bureau, Accounting and Audits Division, Box 
10, 1919 M St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Dupont, Senior Attorney, and 
George Johnson, Senior Attorney, Accounting and Audits Division, Common 
Carrier Bureau (202) 418-0850.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

September 11, 1995.

Release Date: September 11, 1995.

    Dear Telephone Exchange Service Provider:
    On July 13, 1995, the Federal Communications Commission 
(Commission) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of 
Inquiry, proposing changes to the Commission rules relating to the 
Universal Service Fund (USF) and Dial Equipment Minute (DEM) 
Weighting. Also, on December 1, 1994, the Commission released an 
Order directing local exchange carriers (LECs) to submit certain 
information to assist in evaluation of current USF and DEM Weighting 
assistance mechanisms and to estimate the effects of possible rules 
changes on both telecommunications providers and subscribers.
    Although individual LEC submissions in response to the December 
1, 1994 Order have been available from the Commission for several 
months, the National Association of Regulatory Utilities 
Commissioners as well as LEC representatives have requested that the 


[[Page 47583]]
Commission release a database that compiles the individual LEC 
submissions. The Common Carrier Bureau (Bureau), working with the 
Federal-State Joint Board staff, has compiled the individual LEC 
responses containing information not claimed to be confidential into 
a database. In response to the foregoing requests, the Bureau 
intends to release this database of non-confidential information. 
While we hope this database will help commenters analyze those 
proposals in the July 13, 1995, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and 
Notice of Inquiry that lend themselves to quantitative analysis, we 
remind you that comments need not be, and our consideration will not 
be, limited to the data contained in that database.
    Great care has been taken to assure that the information in the 
database to be released does not contain data fields subject to 
confidentiality claims. Notwithstanding these efforts, and to 
protect against the possibility that some information claimed to be 
confidential has inadvertently been included in the database, the 
Bureau is taking the following measures.
    First, analysis of the claims of confidentiality indicates that 
most of the confidentiality claims were made in a limited number of 
specific data fields. To accommodate these claims, we shall exclude 
the following fields (in File 1/filename ``DATAREQ'', and File 3/
filename ``ZIPCODES'', respectively) from the forthcoming database:
    1. Distribution of billings by dollar amounts (File 1, Fields 
69-94 and 137-156).
    2. Number of subscriber lines billed for specific interexchange 
carriers (File 1, Fields 123-130).
    3. Information relating to cable TV, cellular and other services 
(File 1, Fields 335-373).
    4. Identity of wire center common language location identifier, 
the number of subscriber lines served by each wire center, the post 
office zip code at the location of the wire center, and the zip 
codes served by specific wire centers (File 3, cols. A-D.).
    You need not respond to this letter to have data you submitted 
in the fields listed above withheld from the database. Withholding 
this information from the database is intended to accommodate most 
carriers' concerns about proprietary information and does not 
constitute a ruling on the requests for proprietary treatment.
    Second, if you have requested that the Commission accord other 
specific information confidential treatment, you may at this time 
file a statement identifying those other fields in your response to 
the data request for which you claimed confidential treatment, and a 
statement that you continue to assert such claims. If such 
statements are timely received, the fields of information will be 
excluded from the database to be released. Failure to provide such 
statements on or before September 25, 1995, will be deemed to 
constitute waiver of objection to release of the LEC's information 
designated confidential solely to the extent that such confidential 
information has been included in the database to be released. 
Requests that information not previously designated confidential or 
proprietary now be so designated, will not be considered.
    Statements seeking continued confidential treatment of data must 
be received by the Commission not later than September 25, 1995. To 
ensure that we receive your response without delay, we have assigned 
a special mail box for replies to this letter. Therefore, to be 
considered, your response must be addressed to:

Federal Communications Commission, Common Carrier Bureau, Accounting 
and Audits Division, Box 10, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, DC 
20554

    Inquires should be directed to either Deborah Dupont, Senior 
Attorney, or George Johnson, Senior Attorney, Accounting and Audits 
Division, at 202-418-0850.

Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-22904 Filed 9-12-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-M