******************************************************** 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, italic, underlining, etc. from the original document will not show up in this text version. Features of the original 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. ************************************************************ ***** Appendix A Residential Rate Survey Data for October 15, 1996/7 The attached data sheets have been prepared to collect rate and tax information on local residential telephone services. The data sheets contain information on rates that were in effect on October 15, 1996. Two sheets are included for each location in our sample. ***** Use the first sheet to show corrections to the October 15, 1996 data. ***** Use the second sheet to show changes, if any, as of October 15, 1997. NOTE: Use rates for center of city. Rates, taxes, and service availability may be different in different parts of the city. If this is the case, please provide data for the geographic center of the city. If rates depend on mileage from a central office, assume that the customer is located within a mile of a central office. Section I requests monthly service rates (fixed, recurring charges) and charges for local calls. Data are requested for two types of private line service: unlimited local calling, and measured/message rate service. Please respond "none" if a particular service option is not offered to residential customers. Customers with measured service are charged for each minute of calling. Customers with message rate service are charged a flat amount for each call. If both measured and message service options are offered to residential customers, please provide data for the most commonly used option. The recurring service charge is the base monthly rate. The recurring service rate should not include subscriber line charges, taxes, optional calling plans, message plans, or most optional charges. This rate would not include extended area or zone charges unless such service features are mandatory or unless most customers in the city elect to take the options. The recurring service charge for message or measured service should not include any optional plans which provide for a fixed amount of calling or reduce per call rates. Please do not include the cost of line conditioning or other features unless the customer is required to take these features, or unless these features are taken by virtually all residential customers. Inside wiring maintenance plans are optional monthly charges that cover the costs of maintaining telephone wiring on the customer's premise. The service is not tariffed, is totally deregulated in some areas, and may be offered through an affiliate. Please provide the monthly charge for the lowest priced option that is offered to new residential customers. Please do not show rates that are "grandfathered" and only available to existing customers. Customers taking measured or message rate service pay charges for calls in the local service area. In some cases, a small amount of local calling is covered by the recurring charge. It may consist of a message unit or call allowance, or as a dollar amount that will be credited against usage. If the service reported is a message rate service, provide the message or call allowance in line I-g2; if the service is message rate and there is no call allowance, enter 0. If the service reported is a measured service, provide the dollar calling allowance in line I-h2; if the reported rates are for measured service and there is no dollar calling allowance, enter 0. Do not report information on optional calling plans. Line I-i2 requests the charge for a five-minute 1-mile call made at 10:30am on a Tuesday. This should be the charge for the first call made after the calling allowance is exceeded, and should not be a high volume or discount rate. Section II requests information on additional mandatory charges that will appear on customer bills. Please show tax and surcharge rates that apply to the monthly recurring service charge and ignore taxes or surcharges that only apply to toll or other charges. The data sheets distinguish between two types of surcharges. One type of surcharge is collected by the company and remitted to governmental bodies. These surcharges are treated as taxes and are credited to account 4080, which is a liability account titled "Other Taxes Accrued." Any such surcharges should be included on the data sheets as taxes. The second type of surcharge is authorized by utility commissions as a form of company revenue, and is credited to account 5001, a revenue account titled "Basic Area Revenue." These types of surcharges should be included on the data sheets as surcharges accounted as company revenue. The data sheets separate emergency 911 taxes from other state and local taxes and surcharges. Thus, it is possible that there will be one percentage rate representing a revenue surcharge, a second for funding emergency 911 operations, and a third that represents the sum of all other state and local levies. Section III requests information on connection charges. Rates are sought for connection of one line. Connection charges cover service order processing, establishing an account, and central office work necessary to initiate telephone service. In providing the minimum connection charge, please assume that the customer's premise has already had telephone service, and that no premise visit would be required to connect service. A customer premise visit would be necessary to provide a drop line and a protection block if a location has not previously had service. Use line III-c to show the additional charge, if any, for installing a drop line and protection block, including a transportation or trip charge. Please do not include any inside wiring charges. Section IV requests information on taxes and surcharges associated with connection. Taxes and surcharges for connection often are different than taxes and surcharges for recurring charges. The data sheets include space for the telephone numbers of the tariff and rate specialists who actually provide the data. Providing a contact number expedites our getting clarifications, and actually reduces the number of inquiries. Important Things to Remember 1. We are no longer collecting party-line rates. 2. If flat-rate service is not offered in the city make no entries under service # 1. 3. If message/measured service is not offered then make no entries under service # 2. 4. Many cities have multiple measured/message plans available. Enter the rates for the plan which includes the fewest calls in the base rate. In many instances this will be a plan that includes no calls in the base rate. 5. If message service is offered, then enter the number of messages included in the base rate on line I-g. Leave line I-h blank. 6. If measured service is offered, then enter the dollar calling allowance included in the base rate on line I-h. Leave line I-g blank.