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2. What revenues are subject to the remainder, intrastate telephone relay, and intrastate USF assessments?
Table 2 identifies general categories of revenues subject to the various assessments. Following the table is a listing of additional revenue types subject to (or exempt from) assessment; this listing is based on past inquiries received by the Commission staff.
Assessment |
Revenue Type |
Regulated Intrastate Originating and Terminating in Wisconsin |
Regulated Interstate Originating in Wisconsin |
Miscellaneous Revenues (Rent, Directory, etc.) Attributable to Wisconsin1 |
Is a Deduction for
Uncollectible Net Writeoff Activity (Current Year Writeoffs Less Collections) Allowed? |
Remainder |
Assessable |
Assessable |
Assessable |
Yes |
Telephone Relay |
Assessable |
Assessable |
Assessable |
Yes |
Universal Service Fund2 |
Assessable3 |
Not Assessable |
Not Assessable |
No |
Trade Practices |
Assessable |
Assessable |
Assessable |
Yes |
1 Including inbound interstate 800 and collect calls billed to customers in Wisconsin.
2 Including assessments associated with funding of the Commission USF programs (as specified in Wis. Stat. §§ 196.218(5)(a)1., 2., 4., 8., and 9. and Wis. Admin. Code § PSC 160.05(1)), the Educational Telecommunications Access Program of the Technology for Educational Achievement in Wisconsin (TEACH) initiative (as specified in Wis. Stat. § 196.218(5)(a)), telecommunications services provided to four campuses of the University of Wisconsin System (UW‑System) (as specified in Wis. Stat. § 196.218(5)(a)), and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) BadgerLink program and state aid to public libraries (as specified in Wis. Stat. § 196.218(5)(a)).
3 Including intrastate payphone revenue (which was deregulated in 1997) and intrastate CMRS revenues, the latter because of an amendment to Wis. Admin. Code ch. PSC 160, effective May 1, 2000. In an order dated December 20, 2001, in docket 05‑GF‑104, the Commission continued the suspension, which was initiated in November 2000, of the USF assessment for CMRS providers.2009 Wisconsin Act 28 makes CMRS providers again subject to this assessment.
Additional Revenue Types Subject to Assessment (not necessarily an all‑inclusive list).
- Offering for sale of the conveyance of voice, data, or other information at any frequency over any part of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the sale of service for collection, storage, forwarding, switching, and delivery incidental to such communication (per Wis. Stat. § 196.01(9m)).
- Regulated sale of customer premises equipment specifically for persons with disabilities (per Wis. Stat. § 196.01(9m)). (Note: The Commission has deregulated the sale of customer premises equipment, or CPE, other than CPE specifically for persons with disabilities.).
- Revenue from phone card sales (where the prepaid phone card company provides the underlying phone number associated with the phone card).
- Revenue from phone card sales (where the company not providing the underlying phone number also provides telecommunications service that is otherwise regulated by this Commission (e.g., a telecommunications reseller)).
- Sales to retail customers.
- Sales to wholesale customers.
- Revenue from calls to directory assistance.
- Federal subscriber line charge (subject to remainder, telephone relay assessments and trade practices).
- Regulated provision of voice mail service.
- Deregulated provision of voice mail service (subject to USF assessments).
- Intrastate teleconferencing revenues.
- Interstate teleconferencing revenues (subject to remainder, telephone relay, and trade practices assessments).
- International telecommunications services originating in Wisconsin and inbound international 800 and collect calls billed to customers in Wisconsin (subject to remainder, telephone relay, and trade practices assessments).
- Revenue from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) associated with transport of the signal from end users to ISPs via switched Internet access.
- Revenue from ISPs associated with transport of the signal from end users to ISPs via unswitched Internet access (subject to remainder, telephone relay, and trade practices assessments assessments).
- Intrastate 900 number services, regardless of the technology over which the service is delivered.
- Interstate 900 number services, regardless of the technology over which the service is delivered (subject to remainder, telephone relay, and trade practices assessments).
- Dark fiber service (subject to remainder, telephone relay, trade practices, and USF assessments).
- Activation charges
- Call waiting
- Call forwarding
- Caller ID
- Conference bridging
- Directory assistance
- Detailed billing services
- Paging fees
- Early termination fees
Additional Revenue Types Exempt from Assessment.
- Cable television service (per Wis. Stat. § 196.01(9m)).
- Broadcast service (per Wis. Stat. § 196.01(9m)).
- Customer premises equipment sale and maintenance (for other than persons with disabilities).
- Inside wire maintenance.
- Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)-based broadband Internet access service revenues are not subject to assessment. (They are federally-regulated information (i.e., Internet Access) services.)
- Common carrier-type broadband transmission services (other than for Internet Access), using DSL or any other high-speed or advanced service, generally are “telecommunications services” and subject to assessment.
- Intrastate payphone revenue (exempt from remainder, and trade practices, and telephone relay assessments).
- Interstate payphone revenue (exempt from all assessments).
- Revenue from phone card sales not otherwise noted above.
- Federal subscriber line charge (exempt from USF assessments).
- Deregulated provision of voice mail service (exempt from remainder, and trade practices, and telephone relay assessments).
- On‑line or Internet‑delivered information services (for other than 900 number services).
- Debit call revenues.
- Amounts received from Federal high-cost model, high-cost loop, and safety net additive funds (exempt from USF assessments).
- Unbundled network elements (UNEs), UNE Platform (UNE-P), reciprocal compensation and other interconnection revenues (exempt from USF assessment).
- Ring tones
- Downloaded music and media.
- Any revenue associated with customer premises equipment or customer premises wiring is not assessable. However, installation, finance charges, service connection, and disconnection charges are all assessable.
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