[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 24, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 49614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16615]



[[Page 49614]]

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

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CC Docket Nos. 93-193, 94-65; DA 05-2195]


Wireline Competition Bureau Approves Plan To Refund Interstate 
Access Customers of Sprint/United LECs for 1993 and 1994 Tariff Periods

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Wireline Competition 
Bureau has approved the plan to refund interstate access customers of 
certain Sprint/United incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (the Sprint/
United LECs) for refunds associated with their 1993 and 1994 annual 
interstate access tariffs. It also provides information as to how 
refunds may be obtained by interstate access customers of the Sprint/
United LECs that are either no longer readily identifiable or that are 
due refunds of less than $100.

DATES: Former interstate access customers may submit refund claims to 
the Sprint Incumbent Local Exchange Companies (Sprint) through October 
24, 2005.

ADDRESSES: See Supplementary Information for address postings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margaret Dailey, Wireline Competition 
Bureau, Pricing Policy Division, (202) 418-1520, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 30, 2004, the Commission released 
the Add-Back Tariff Investigation Order, FCC 04-151, in CC Docket Nos. 
93-193 and 94-65. In that Order, the Commission concluded its 
investigation of the 1993 and 1994 interstate access tariffs of price 
cap local exchange carriers (LECs) that implemented a sharing or lower 
formula adjustment. The Commission found unjust and unreasonable the 
1993 annual access tariffs of price cap LECs that implemented a sharing 
or lower formula adjustment in their 1992 Price Cap Indexes (PCIs) and 
that failed to apply add-back in computing their 1992 earnings and 
rates of return and resulting 1993 PCIs. The Commission made the same 
findings for the 1994 interstate access tariffs of price cap LECs that 
implemented a sharing or lower formula adjustment in their 1993 PCIs. 
Finally, the Commission ordered affected price cap LECs to: (1) 
Recalculate their 1992 and 1993 earnings and rates of return, making an 
add-back adjustment; (2) determine the appropriate sharing or lower 
formula adjustment to their PCIs for the subsequent tariff year; (3) 
compute the amount of any resulting access rate decrease; and (4) 
submit a plan for refunding the amounts owed to customers plus interest 
as a result of any such rate decrease.
    On August 30, 2004, the Sprint Incumbent Local Exchange Companies 
filed the refund plans required by the Add-Back Tariff Investigation 
Order and determined that refunds are due to interstate access 
customers of the following Sprint/United incumbent LECs:
     United Telephone of Florida
     United Telephone Company of Ohio
     United Telephone Company of Indiana, Inc.
     United Telephone--Southeast, Inc.
     United Telephone--Midwest

--United Telephone Company of Kansas
--United Telephone Company of Eastern Kansas
--United Telephone Company of South Central Kansas
--United Telephone Company of Minnesota
--United Telephone Company of Missouri
--United Telephone Company of Texas
--United Telephone Company of the West
     Sprint/United Telephone--Northwest

(the Sprint/United LECs). In the Add-Back Refund Order, DA 05-719, 
released March 17, 2005, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) 
completed its review and approved Sprint's refund plans as further 
detailed in that Order. The Bureau recognized that, due to factors such 
as bankruptcy, changes in ownership, or simple passage of time, some 
customers of the Sprint/United LECs may no longer be readily 
identifiable. Further, the Bureau did not require Sprint to identify 
and notify customers that may be due refunds of less than $100. 
Customers that Sprint cannot identify and customers due refunds of less 
than $100 may, however, obtain refunds through the following procedure, 
as specified in paragraph 22 of the Add-Back Refund Order: For at least 
60 days after this notice is published in the Federal Register, Sprint 
must post this notice on its company web sites that are most often 
consulted by its interstate access customers. Sprint must also provide 
an address to which former access customers may submit refund claims by 
a specified date that is at least 60 days after the refund notice is 
first posted.

Federal Communications Commission.
Thomas J. Navin,
Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau.
[FR Doc. 05-16615 Filed 8-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P