PUBLIC NOTICE
                                                                         
 Federal Communications Commission
 1919 M St., N.W.
 Washington, D.C. 20554
                                                                         
     
         DA 96-1544    
   
Report No. I-8199                                                                       August  29, 1996

                                                                         
  Semi-annual traffic reports for equivalent countries due on September
3                                 0th 

 Nondominant carriers authorized to resell international private lines
("IPLs") for the provision of switched service are required to file semi-annual
traffic reports with the Commission not later than September 30, 1996 for the
January 1996 through June 1996 reporting period.  This semi-annual traffic
report must contain the same information as the annual traffic reports
submitted by all international carriers pursuant to Section 43.61 of the
Commission's rules.

As set forth in the 1992 International Resale Order and modified by the
1995 Foreign Carrier Entry Order, the Commission authorizes resale carriers to
provide switched service via resold IPLs only to countries that the Commission
determines offer "equivalent" resale opportunities to U.S. carriers. Equivalency
requires that the country at the foreign end of the IPL provide U.S. carriers
with: 1) the legal right to resell international private lines, interconnected to
the public switched network at both ends, for the provision of switched service,
2) non-discriminatory charges, terms, and conditions for interconnection to
foreign domestic carrier facilities for termination and origination of
international services, with adequate means of enforcement, 3) competitive
safeguards to protect against anticompetitive and discriminatory practices
affecting private line resale, and 4) fair and transparent regulatory procedures,
including separation between the regulator and the operator of international
facilities-based services.  

The Commission requires carriers authorized to resell interconnected
IPLs for the provision of switched service to an equivalent country to file semi-
annual traffic reports for three years following an equivalency finding. 
Currently, the Commission considers Canada, the United Kingdom, and
Sweden equivalent.  Because the Commission determined that Canada was
equivalent more than three years ago, only nondominant carriers authorized to
resell interconnected IPLs to the United Kingdom and Sweden must file semi-
annual traffic reports.  Resellers authorized to provide switched service to
Canada via interconnected IPLs need only submit annual traffic reports
pursuant to Section 43.61 of the Commission's rules.  

Section 43.61 specifically requires that the annual reports include actual
traffic and revenue data for each and every service provided by a common
carrier, divided among service billed in the United States, service billed outside
the United States, and service transiting the United States.  Section 43.61
specifically requests that carriers engaged in "facilities resale," i.e., private line
resellers, report U.S. outbound and inbound traffic originating or terminating
over resold U.S. IPLs.  Private line resellers are required to report their
outbound and inbound traffic according to the ultimate point of termination or
origination.  The semi-annual traffic reports filed by carriers authorized to
resell interconnected IPLs on the U.S.-U.K. and U.S.-Sweden routes for the
provision of switched service must report their traffic and revenues in the same
manner.   

Semi-annual reports should be submitted to Mary Cobbs, 2000 M Street,
Suite 102, Washington, D.C.  20554.  For questions, contact Mary Cobbs at
(202) 418-1492, Rudy Bandong at (202) 418-1493 or Helene Schrier Nankin at
(202) 418-1466.  

- FCC -