FCC Announces Date of New Procedures for Retrieving ILEC Pole Cost Data

Yesterday, the FCC Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice announcing the effective date of new procedures for incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to file -- and communications company attachers to retrieve -- ARMIS reports and pole and conduit-related cost and operating data.

The Bureau announced that effective January 1, 2015, the mid-sized ILECs required to make complete annual ARMIS filings (i.e., Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Windstream, FairPoint Communications and Frontier) must file their reports in CC Docket No. 86-182 via the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). In addition, the largest ILECs -- Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink -- which are required only to file pole attachment and conduit data (not complete ARMIS reports), also must do so in CC Docket No. 86-182 via ECFS.

Utilizing ECFS instead of the prior EAFS system (Electronic ARMIS Filing System) will make them more secure and readily available to attachers and the public as explained in the FCC's Order in September. The filings are due April 1 each year for data reflecting the prior calendar year.