*************************************************** NOTICE *************************************************** This document was converted from WordPerfect to ASCII Text format. Content from the original version of the document such as headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, graphics, and page numbers will not show up in this text version. All text attributes such as bold, itallic, underlining, etc. from the original document will not show up in this text version. Features of the orginal document layout such as columns, tables, line and letter spacing, pagination, and margins will not be preserved in the text version. If you need the complete document, download the WordPerfect version or Adobe Acrobat version, if available. ***************************************************** News media information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.govPUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 1919 M St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 DA 98-276 Released: February 12, 1998 CARRIERS TO FILE BY APRIL 30 SELF-CERTIFICATION OF THEIR STATUS AS A RURAL TELEPHONE COMPANY BASED ON INFORMATION FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR CC Docket 96-45 The Universal Service Order, released May 8, 1997, established that, beginning January 1, 1999, rural and non-rural local exchange carriers (LECs) would receive federal universal service support determined by separate mechanisms. On September 23, 1997, the Commission released a Public Notice requiring LECs that seek to be classified as a rural telephone company to file, by April 30 of each year, a letter with the Commission notifying the Commission that the LEC certifies itself to be a rural telephone company and explaining how it meets at least one of the four criteria set forth in Section 153(37) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Self- Certification Public Notice also required that a LEC that self-certifies itself as a rural telephone company file supporting information, such as the number of lines the carrier serves and whether it is certified as a rural carrier in its state. Pursuant to the Self-Certification Public Notice, all self-certifications may be subject to random verifications at any time. In this Public Notice, we clarify that, beginning in 1998, each LEC that seeks to be classified as a rural telephone company must file a letter by April 30 of each year notifying the Commission that the LEC certifies itself to be a rural telephone company based on the information and data available as of December 31 of the previous year. For example, a LEC that self-certifies its status as a rural telephone company by April 30, 1998 must base that certification on its status as of December 31, 1997. Thus, a LEC self-certifying with the Commission its status in 1998 could use the number of lines it served as of December 31, 1997 as evidence of its status as a rural telephone company for its 1998 filing. This Public Notice does not impose any additional reporting requirements beyond those contained in the Self- Certification Public Notice. As set forth in the Self-Certification Public Notice, by June 30 of each year, the Commission will acknowledge receipt of the carrier's self-certification as a rural carrier. The Commission will also send the list of carriers certified as rural telephone companies to the Universal Service Administrative Company by July 31 of each year. If a carrier's status changes so that it becomes ineligible for certification as a rural carrier, that carrier must inform the Commission and the Universal Service Administrative Company within one month of the change in status. Notifications of self-certification as a rural telephone company must be sent by April 30 of each year to Sheryl Todd, Universal Service Branch, Accounting and Audits Division, Federal Communications Commission, 2100 M St., N.W., 8th Floor, Washington, D.C., 20554. Questions regarding self-certification may be directed to Ms. Todd at (202) 418-7400. Action by the Accounting and Audits Division Chief.