[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 59 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14942-14944]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7988]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CC Docket No. 87-313; DA 98-483]


Accounting and Audits Division

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This Public Notice invites interested parties to comment on a 
proposal of numerous improvements to the ARMIS Report 43-05 Service 
Quality Report, which provides data regarding service quality, and the 
ARMIS Report 43-06 Customer Satisfaction Report, which provides data 
concerning customer satisfaction. The ARMIS 43-05 Service Quality 
Report captures important service quality trends of price cap carriers 
on a study area basis. The ARMIS Report 43-06 Customer Satisfaction 
Report, reflects the results of customer satisfaction surveys conducted 
by carriers.

DATES: Comments are to be filed on or before April 24, 1998. Reply 
comments are due on or before May 15, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20052.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Dale, Common Carrier Bureau, 
Accounting and Audits Division, (202) 418-2260, or via E-mail to 
``[email protected]''.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. In this Public Notice released March 11, 1998 (``Notice''), the 
Common Carrier Bureau (``the Bureau'') proposes a number of 
improvements to the ARMIS Report 43-05 Service Quality Report, which 
provides data regarding service quality, and the ARMIS Report 43-06 
Customer Satisfaction Report, which provides data concerning customer 
satisfaction. The ARMIS 43-05 Service Quality Report captures important 
service quality trends of price cap carriers on a study area basis. 
ARMIS Report 43-05 contains five tables: (1) Installation and repair 
intervals for interexchange carriers; (2) installation and repair 
intervals for local access customers; (3) common trunk blockage; (4) 
total switch downtime and occurrences of two minutes or more duration; 
and (5) service quality complaints. ARMIS Report 43-06, the Customer 
Satisfaction Report, reflects the results of customer satisfaction 
surveys conducted by carriers. The report captures trends in service 
quality as measured by the perception of residential, small business, 
and large business customers. All incumbent local exchange carriers 
(``LECs'') subject to price cap regulation file the Service Quality 
Report, but only the Bell operating companies and GTE file the Customer 
Satisfaction Report.

A. Service Quality in Rural Areas

    2. We are particularly interested in the quality of service 
available in rural areas. We seek additional comments on modifications 
to both the ARMIS 43-05 Service Quality Report and the ARMIS 43-06 
Customer Satisfaction Report that would permit detailed analysis of the 
quality of service provided to rural areas. For ARMIS Report 43-05, 
carriers already disaggregate the reported data into MSA and non-MSA 
categories throughout most of the report. For ARMIS Report 43-06, the 
Customer Satisfaction Report, we propose disaggregating the reported 
data to reflect customer satisfaction by MSA and non-MSA categories. We 
seek comment on whether this level of disaggregation adequately 
illustrates the quality of service provided to rural areas, or whether 
we should consider a greater level of detail.
    3. Additionally, although ARMIS Report 43-05 collects data 
concerning switch outages, the report does not collect data concerning 
facility outages caused by cable cuts, which are the primary source of 
network outages. Because many rural areas do not meet

[[Page 14943]]

the reporting threshold identified in the Commission's network outage 
reports, the ARMIS 43-05 Service Quality Report does not provide a 
complete picture of the quality of service in many rural areas. 
Therefore, we propose modifying ARMIS Report 43-05 to include a table 
for reporting facility outages resulting in a threshold number of 
customers out of service for longer than twelve hours. There are very 
few, if any, rural areas that meet the threshold number of 30,000 
customers set in the Commission's rules for reporting network outages, 
(See 47 CFR 63.100) so the Commission does not collect all the 
information needed to monitor the quality of service in rural areas. 
Therefore, we propose using a percentage of subscribers in wire center 
serving area that are affected by the facility outage. Carriers would 
report facility outages affecting greater than five--or perhaps ten--
percent of the subscribers served in a wire center serving area. 
Carriers would disaggregate this data into MSA and non-MSA categories. 
We seek comment on this proposal, on the recommended format of a 
facility outage table in ARMIS Report 43-05, and on the suggested 
reporting threshold necessary to provide an accurate picture of rural 
service quality.

B. ARMIS 43-05 Service Quality Report

1. Table I--Installation and Repair Intervals (Interexchange Access)

    4. Table I of the ARMIS Service Quality Report 43-05 presents 
incumbent LEC installation and repair intervals for service provided to 
interexchange carriers. This table contains useful information 
regarding the number of complaints, referred to as ``trouble reports,'' 
received by an incumbent LEC from an interexchange carrier in a given 
period and percentages of service commitments met by the incumbent 
LECs. It does not, however, contain information regarding the total 
number of switched or special access lines that could trigger trouble 
reports. Consequently, it is difficult for the Commission and other 
interested parties to benchmark data for incumbent LECs of varying 
sizes. We propose that incumbent LECs should report the total number of 
switched and all special access lines provided to interexchange 
carriers in each study area.

2. Table II--Installation and Repair Intervals (Local Service)

    5. Table II is the primary source of service quality information 
regarding the services provided by price cap LECs to their local 
customers. Table II consists of two major columns (one for residential 
customers and one for business customers) and five major rows 
(Installation Intervals, Repair Intervals, Initial Trouble Reports, 
Repeat Trouble Reports, No Trouble Found) that contain data on how 
price cap LECs perform during the reporting period in the installation 
and repair of basic local telecommunications services. Each column and 
row is further disaggregated to provide greater detail regarding the 
installation and repair of lines. As a whole, Table II illustrates the 
service quality provided by the price cap LECs to residential and 
business customers. This information is used by the Commission state 
commissions, and other interested parties to evaluate and benchmark 
carriers' installation and repair data.
    6. Customer trouble reporting measures both the number and the 
types of service problems that local business and residential customers 
report to the reporting carrier. These trouble reports are categorized 
as either ``initial'' trouble reports or ``repeat'' trouble reports. A 
``repeat trouble'' is a trouble reported on a line within thirty days 
of the disposition of a previous trouble; all other trouble reports are 
categorized as ``initial.'' In addition to the quantity and type of 
troubles, carriers also report the time needed to close out the 
troubles. One way for closing out a trouble is the ``no trouble found'' 
report. Currently, carriers are required to report only the total 
number of instances in which, upon investigation, no trouble was found. 
Analysis of existing reports shows a substantial increase in the number 
of troubles closed out as ``no trouble found.'' We propose that 
carriers should be required to disaggregate this information into two 
rows in Table II--one showing the total number of ``no trouble found'' 
reports for ``initial'' trouble reports, and one for ``repeat'' trouble 
reports.
    7. Incumbent LECs provide local special service circuits, which are 
circuits other than those used for basic telephone service, to business 
customers. In its current format, Table II does not require incumbent 
LECs to report information on local (intraLATA or intrastate) special 
service circuits. Many types of special service circuits perform the 
same function as those circuits that incumbent LECs already report in 
Table II. We propose modifying Table II to require carriers to report 
data on local special service circuits and to disaggregate this data by 
MSA and non-MSA categories. We seek comment on this proposal and 
additional suggestions for the reporting format of information on local 
special service circuits.

C. Table IV--Switches

    8. Table IV of ARMIS Report 43-05 contains information about the 
number of switches of various sizes and a count of those switches that 
experience operating downtime of two minutes or more. Switch size is 
reported according to the number of lines each switch serves. 
Currently, carriers are required to report outages by various switch 
sizes up to 20,000 lines with all larger switches being categorized 
into a single row. Because 47 CFR 63.100 requires that carriers report 
network outages for switches over 30,000 lines, we propose that a new 
row should be added to Table IV for switches over 20,000 lines but less 
than 30,000 lines with the last row modified to include switches with 
30,000 or more lines.
    9. Paperwork Reduction Act. As part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork burdens, we invite the general public to take this 
opportunity to comment on information collections contained in this 
Public Notice, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
Public Law No. 104-13. Public and agency comments are due at the same 
time as other comments on this Public Notice. Comments should address: 
(a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including 
whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy 
of the Commission's burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on the 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    10. Comment Filing Procedures. Interested parties may file comments 
no later than April 29, 1998. Reply comments may be filed no later than 
May 15, 1998. All pleadings should reference AAD File No. 98-22. The 
original and six copies should be submitted to the Secretary of the 
Commission; one copy should be submitted to Anthony Dale, Accounting 
and Audits Division, Common Carrier Bureau, FCC, 2000 L Street, Suite 
201, Washington, DC 20554. In addition, one copy of each pleading must 
be filed with International Transcription Services (ITS), the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, at its office at 1231 20th Street, 
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 857-3800. All pleadings will be 
made available for public inspection and copying in the

[[Page 14944]]

Accounting and Audits public reference room.
    Action by the Chief, Common Carrier Bureau, FCC.

Federal Communications Commission.
Kenneth P. Moran,
Chief, Accounting and Audits Division, Common Carrier Bureau.
[FR Doc. 98-7988 Filed 3-26-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P