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If you need the complete document, download the WordPerfect version or Adobe Acrobat version, if available. ***************************************************************** Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In reply refer to: RAO Letter 18 Released: June 7, 1991 RESPONSIBLE ACCOUNTING OFFICER Annual Report Form M--Conversion to the Metric System In compliance with the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (Act), the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Metric System as the standard of measurement in 1976. However, the Annual Report Form M has not been revised to comply with the new standard of measurement. Therefore, to be in conformance with the Act, carriers required to complete Annual Report Form M are being advised to prepare to use the metric system in reporting measurements beginning with the 1991 Report. Editorial changes will be made to the Instructions and Schedules of the 1991 Annual Report Form M to reflect metric units. The changes to the Form M instructions are described in Attachment A, and the changes to the Form M schedules are described in Attachment B. This letter and attachments are issued pursuant to authority delegated under Section 0.291 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R.  0.291. Applications for review under Section 1.115 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R.  1.115, must be filed within 30 days of the date of this letter. See 47 C.F.R.  1.4(b)(2). If you have any questions, contact the Chief of the Accounting Systems Branch at (202) 418-0810. Sincerely, Kenneth P. Moran Chief, Accounting and Audits Division Common Carrier Bureau ATTACHMENT A The editorial changes to Form M Instructions appear below. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: ***** (j) Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1700 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Federal Communications Commission, Office of Managing Director, Washington, D.C. 20554, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20503. ***** S--STATISTICAL SCHEDULES ***** Conversion Factors: To change miles to kilometers multiply by 1.6093 and then round to the nearest whole number. Definitions for Schedule S-1--Outside Plant Statistics ***** 3. Kilometers of Cable--Sheath kilometers. 4. Kilometers of Wire in Aerial Cable--The number of conductors of physical transmission paths times the sheath kilometers. ***** 6. Kilometers of Wire in Underground Cable--The number of conductors or physical transmission paths times the sheath kilometers. ***** 8. Kilometers of Wire in Buried Cable--The number of conductors or physical transmission paths times the sheath kilometers. ***** 12. Kilometers of Wire in Submarine Cable--The number of conductors or physical transmission paths times the sheath kilometers. 13. Kilometers of Wire in Deep Sea Cable--Similar definition as submarine cable above. ***** 15. Kilometers of Wire in Intrabuilding Network Cable--The number of conductors or physical transmission paths times the sheath kilometers. 16. Total Cable--Total sheath kilometers of all cables should include fiber and coaxial cables; total kilometers of wire in all cables should include fiber in fiber cable and coaxial tube in coaxial cables. ***** 18. Fiber Kilometers--Total deployed measurement of kilometers derived from taking the number of sheath kilometers times the number of fibers in the sheath. 19. Fiber Kilometers Lit--The portion of fiber kilometers that are equipped with electronics for transmission use or are ready for use. ***** 21. Equipped Kilometers of Tube in Coaxial Cable--Coaxial sheath kilometers times the number of tubes equipped with electronics. ***** 23. Trench Kilometers--Length of the ditch that contains the duct. 24. Duct Kilometers--The number of ducts times the trench kilometers. ***** 26. Kilometers of System--Total distance between repeater sites making up microwave radio systems above 890 mhz. Where a system meets another company's system, only include kilometers to the border of the adjacent company. Do not include satellite systems in this total. 27. Kilometers of Radio Channel--Total kilometers of one-way radio channel used for message, special services, video, or protection. A radio channel consists of a single link using a microwave transmitter and receiver. The radio channel distance is the sum of the kilometers of each link associated with a transmitter-receiver pair. Where a radio channel interfaces with that of another company, only include kilometers to the border of the adjacent company. In the case of satellite systems, calculate kilometers as the terrestrial distance between the receiver and transmitter terminal locations and add a footnote to indicate the satellite kilometers included in the total. 28. Kilometers of Equivalent 4khz Telephone Channel--Number of equivalent 4khz telephone circuit kilometers that are equipped and on radio systems. This value is the weighted sum of the number of 4khz circuits on each link times the length of the link and is larger than the radio channel kilometers unless most radio systems carry no active circuits. 29. Total Equipped Channel Kilometers--Total equivalent 4khz telephone grade circuit kilometers in carrier plant. 30. Equivalent 4khz Analog Carrier Channel Kilometers--Includes open wire, paired cable (K, N1, N2, N3, N4, ON, ON/K), microwave radio (TL, TM, TD2, TD3), and other analog microwave. (Reported in circuit kilometers for interoffice only.) 31. Weighted DS-1 Digital (or Equivalent) Carrier Channel Kilometers-- Includes lightguide (fiber) cables, digital subscriber paired cable (T1, T1C, T1D, T2), microwave radio (DR11-40, other digital microwave). (Reported as equivalent 64kb/sec circuit kilometers for interoffice only.) Weight each DS-1 channel by multiplying by 24 before entering this data item, since a DS-1 can be equipped with up to 24 voice grade circuits operating at 64kb/sec. 32. Video--Kilometers of derived video channel. (Interoffice only.) ***** 34. If an entry would be a fraction of a kilometer, show the exact amount or show an entry less than 1 kilometer as 1. ***** Specific Instructions for Statistical Schedules SCHEDULE S-1--Outside Plant Statistics ***** 2. Report the kilometers at the end of the year for all solely owned plant and respondent's proportionate interest in jointly owned plant. ***** 4. In columns (b) through (p), include fiber cable with other cable types. For column (p), include kilometers of fiber and kilometers of wire in the total. 5. Kilometers of fiber and kilometers of coaxial tube should be included in columns (d), (f), (h), (j), (l), (n), and (p), along with wire kilometers, even though the heading states "wire". 6. In column (o), the kilometers in cable is the total of columns (c), (e), (g), (i), (k) and (m). 7. In column (p), the kilometers of wire in cable is the total of columns (d), (f), (h), (j), (l) and (n). 8. For columns (q) and (t), provide only the number of fiber kilometers "lit" or equipped with electronics and the number of tube kilometers of coaxial equipped with electronics. Usually a fiber or coaxial tube is considered equipped when it is capable of handling the first active circuit. Do not provide total sheath kilometers. 9. For column (r), provide the total deployed fiber kilometers, not just the amount equipped with carrier equipment or in service. 10. In columns (w), (x), and (y), report the aggregate number of kilometers of system or channel, as appropriate, between the individual stations or radio-relay systems. In column (y), include 64kb/sec digital circuit kilometers in the total, where applicable. SCHEDULE S-5--Interstate Private Line Statistics ***** 2. **** ***** "Pricing distance" denotes the measurement of distance for which charges are made in accordance with the service contract at a basic rate regardless of the physical routing of the circuit or the basis of measurements of the distance, whether airline, railroad, operating, etc. ***** Checklist for Schedules S-1 through S-4 ***** 2. (Schedule S-1): Please check the number of kilometers of wire (column (p)) and the kilometers of cable (column (o)) and be sure you have provided all required data. Also be sure you have provided wire kilometers in column (p) and not sheath kilometers. 3. (Schedule S-1): Kilometers of cable--Be sure that column (o) equals the total of columns (c), (e), (g), (i), (k), and (m). 4. (Schedule S-1): Kilometers of wire in cable--Be sure that column (p) equals the total of columns (d), (f), (h), (j), (l), and (n). 5. (Schedule S-1): If you have not included or have indicated as zero a figure for the number of fiber kilometers of fiber which is lit or equipped with carrier equipment in column (q), note that this data is now required. 6. (Schedule S-1): If you have not included a figure for the total number of fiber kilometers of fiber (lit and dark) deployed (column (r)) and you have in your facility base, be sure that this information is provided. 7. (Schedule S-1): Please be sure that the number of fiber kilometers of lit fiber (column (q)) is less than the total number of fiber kilometers (column (r)). 8. (Schedule S-1): The number of equivalent 4khz channel kilometers (column (y)) should be greater than the number of kilometers of radio channel (column (x)), and the number of radio channel kilometers (column (x)) should be greater than the number of radio system kilometers (column (w)). Any nonzero entry in column (w) should generally be matched with nonzero entries in columns (x) and (y) and vice versa. Be sure that all required data are provided in columns (w), (x), and (y). 9. (Schedule S-1): If columns (z) and (aa) (carrier channel kilometers) are zero or blank, be sure all applicable data have been provided. 10. (Schedule S-1): If column (aa) is more than 100 million or less than 1 million, recheck the number and be sure that the number of DS-1 kilometers is appropriately weighted by 24. ***** ATTACHMENT B The editorial changes to Form M Schedules appear below. Schedule S-1, Outside Plant Statistics The column headings for columns (b) through (y) read as follows: (b): Kilometers of Aerial Wire (c): Kilometers of Cable (d): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (e): Kilometers of Cable (f): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (g): Kilometers of Cable (h): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (i): Kilometers of Cable (j): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (k): Kilometers of Cable (l): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (m): Kilometers of Cable (n): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (o): Kilometers of Cable (p): Kilometers of Wire in Cable (q): Fiber Kilometers Equipped with Electronics (Lit) (r): Total Fiber Kilometers Deployed (Lit and Dark) (s): Number of Poles (t): Equipped Kilometers of Tube In Coaxial Cable (u): Trench Kilometers (v): Duct Kilometers (w): Kilometers of System (x): Kilometers of Radio Channel (y): Kilometers of Telephone Channel (Equivalent 4KHz & 64Kb/s) The heading overriding columns (z), (aa) and (bb) reads as follows: Total Equipped Channel Kilometers (Cable and Microwave Systems) Schedule S-5, Interstate Private Line Statistics The column heading for column (d) reads as follows: (d): Pricing Distance (In Kilometers) FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION