The FCC has adopted an Order outlining the procedures for incumbent local exchange carriers to file their annual interstate access charge tariffs effective July 1, 2025. These procedures apply to incumbent local exchange carriers subject to price cap regulation and rate-of-return LECs subject to sections 61.38, 61.39, and 61.50 of the FCC’s rules. The Order provides updated Tariff Review Plans, which are relied upon by the FCC to confirm that the annual adjustments to incumbent LECs’ eligible recovery, a portion of their lost revenue attributable to the required switched access rate decreases, have been implemented in alignment with the Commission’s rules.
The Commission also released a Public Notice reminding competitive LECs that are benchmarking their tariffed rates to competing incumbent LECs to file their interstate tariff revisions on or before July 16, 2025, by 7:00pm EST. Under the FCC’s rules, competitive LECs are prohibited from filing a tariffed rate for interstate switched exchange access services that is higher than the benchmark rate of competing incumbent LECs.
