Rural telcos ask FCC to revise SLC rules

A joint petition filed this week by the National Exchange Carrier Association and several trade groups representing the interests of rural telecommunications service providers asked the FCC to waive one of its rules governing subscriber line charges so that rural telcos could offer their customers more attractive rates. The current rule requires telcos to assess up to 24 SLC charges per month for customers of certain high-speed services, despite evidence that shows the cost of providing such service warrants no more than five SLC charges per month, said the petition. Rural telcos have complained that customers are relocating their facilities to non-NECA tariff areas to take advantage of lower rates in those areas. NECA, which administrates the FCC’s interstate access charge plan, was joined in the petition by the Eastern Rural Telecom Association, Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance, NTCA, OPASTCO, USTA and the Western Alliance.