******************************************************** 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 B Business Rates Survey Data for October 15, 1996/7 The attached data sheets have been prepared to collect rate and tax information on local business 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 business 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 business customers, please provide data for the most commonly used option. The data sheets request rates for a single-line business customer, for a line with hunting for a key system, for a line with hunting for a PBX system, and for a "2B+D" ISDN line. Your tariffs may not specify "single line" "key system" or "PBX" rates. Please provide the access line charges for the services that would typically be taken by these three types of customers. If different rates exist depending on the number of lines, assume that the customer has a three-line key system or a twenty-line PBX system. Please assume that the key system and PBX lines include hunt group. The hunting feature allows arriving calls to rotate from a busy line to a free line. If there is a separate charge for hunt group, please include this charge in the recurring rate. A 2B+D ISDN access line is configured with two 64 kilobyte per second voice channels and a 16 kilobyte signaling channel. Please assume that the ISDN line does not include hunt group. If ISDN access lines are not offered in the sample city, please enter "none." Several rates are requested for each type of access line. The recurring service rate is the base monthly rate, and does not include subscriber line charges, taxes, or most optional features. The recurring charge for lines used by key systems and PBX systems should, however, include any separate charge for hunt group. 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 reduced 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 business customers. We are not collecting information on other optional extended area charges for business customers. In some areas, the recurring service charge for ISDN is a charge paid in addition to the analog service charge. If this is the case, please provide the sum of the recurring service charges that a customer purchasing ISDN service would pay. Apply multi-line subscriber line charges for the ISDN lines. 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 single line business customers. We do not need the wiring maintenance plan charges for key system, PBX, or ISDN lines. Please do not show rates that are "grandfathered" and only available to existing customers. Customers taking measured or message rate service pay for local service calls. 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-g1; 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-h1; if the service is measured service and there is no calling allowance, enter 0. Do not report information on optional calling plans. Line I-i1 requests the charge for a five-minute same zone (short distance) call made during the business day. 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. Customers using ISDN lines may be charged different amounts for voice and data usage. Fax and video conference calls placed over the ISDN line may be treated as data calls. Even if the ISDN access line allows unlimited voice calls, the customer may be charged for data calls. I-g2 requests the number of data calls or sessions included with the ISDN line if customers are charged by the call or session. I-h2 requests the dollar calling allowance for data calls if customers are charged by the minute or by the kilobyte. I-i2 requests the additional charge for a five-minute data call placed during the business day using one of the B channels. 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 and for the connection of three lines at the same time. 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. Do not include the cost of an NT1 interface or power supply in calculating the ISDN connection rate. A customer premise visit would be necessary to provide a drop line and a protection block if a business location has not previously had service, or if many lines are being requested. 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. Section V requests pay telephone information. Please provide the minimum daytime, same-zone charge for a call at a company-owned pay telephone located in the center of the city. 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 collecting rates on ISDN lines. The capability of the line should include alternate voice/circuit-switched data on one B channel, circuit-switched data on the other B channel and basic D channel packet. The National ISDN Users Forum refers to this as capability package N. 2. If ISDN is charged as an increment to analog service charges, then these charges should be included in the ISDN recurring service charge. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. If ISDN data and voice calls are treated differently, please make a note in the area at the bottom of the sheet marked notes. 7. The connection charge for a single-line business and an ISDN line should be for the connection of one line. 8. The connection charge for a PBX or key system should be the connection charge for three lines. 9. Please check the current payphone rates. Payphone rates in a number of states have been deregulated recently.