[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 47, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 47CFR20.20]

[Page 21-22]
 
                       TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION
 
                    CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
                         COMMISSION (CONTINUED)
 
PART 20--COMMERCIAL MOBILE RADIO SERVICES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 20.20  Conditions applicable to provision of CMRS service by incumbent Local Exchange Carriers.

    (a) Separate affiliate. An incumbent LEC providing in-region 
broadband CMRS shall provide such services through an affiliate that 
satisfies the following requirements:
    (1) The affiliate shall maintain separate books of account from its 
affiliated incumbent LEC. Nothing in this section requires the affiliate 
to maintain separate books of account that comply with part 32 of this 
chapter;
    (2) The affiliate shall not jointly own transmission or switching 
facilities with its affiliated incumbent LEC that the affiliated 
incumbent LEC uses for the provision of local exchange service in the 
same in-region market. Nothing in this section prohibits the affiliate 
from sharing personnel or other resources or assets with its affiliated 
incumbent LEC; and
    (3) The affiliate shall acquire any services from its affiliated 
incumbent LEC for which the affiliated incumbent LEC is required to file 
a tariff at tariffed rates, terms, and conditions. Other transactions 
between the affiliate and the incumbent LEC for services that are not 
acquired pursuant to tariff must be reduced to writing and must be made 
on a compensatory, arm's length basis. All transactions between the 
incumbent LEC and the affiliate are subject to part 32 of this chapter, 
including the affiliate transaction rules. Nothing in this section shall 
prohibit the affiliate from acquiring any unbundled network elements or 
exchange services for the provision of a telecommunications service from 
its affiliated incumbent LEC, subject to the same terms and conditions 
as provided in an agreement approved under section 252 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    (b) Independence. The affiliate required in paragraph (a) of this 
section shall be a separate legal entity from its affiliated incumbent 
LEC. The affiliate may be staffed by personnel of its affiliated 
incumbent LEC, housed in existing offices of its affiliated incumbent 
LEC, and use its affiliated incumbent LEC's marketing and other 
services, subject to paragraphs (a)(3) and (c) of this section.
    (c) Joint marketing. Joint marketing of local exchange and exchange 
access service and CMRS services by an incumbent LEC shall be subject to 
part 32 of this chapter. In addition, such agreements between the 
affiliate and the incumbent LEC must be reduced to writing and made 
available for public inspection upon request at the principle place of 
business of the affiliate and the incumbent LEC. The documentation must 
include a certification statement identical to the certification 
statement currently required to be included with all Automated Reporting 
and Management Information Systems (ARMIS) reports. The affiliate must 
also provide a detailed written description of the terms and conditions 
of the transaction on the Internet within 10

[[Page 22]]

days of the transaction through the affiliate's home page.
    (d) Exceptions. (1) Rural telephone companies. Rural telephone 
companies are exempted from the requirements set forth in paragraphs 
(a), (b) and (c) of this section. A competing telecommunications 
carrier, interconnected with the rural telephone company, however, may 
petition the FCC to remove the exemption, or the FCC may do so on its 
own motion, where the rural telephone company has engaged in 
anticompetitive conduct.
    (2) Incumbent LECs with fewer than 2 percent of subscriber lines. 
Incumbent LECs with fewer than 2 percent of the nation's subscriber 
lines installed in the aggregate nationwide may petition the FCC for 
suspension or modification of the requirements set forth in paragraphs 
(a), (b) and (c) of this section. The FCC will grant such a petition 
where the incumbent LEC demonstrates that suspension or modification of 
the separate affiliate requirement is
    (i) Necessary to avoid a significant adverse economic impact on 
users of telecommunications services generally or to avoid a requirement 
that would be unduly economically burdensome, and
    (ii) Consistent with the public interest, convenience, and 
necessity.
    (e) Definitions. Terms used in this section have the following 
meanings:
    Affiliate. ``Affiliate'' means a person that (directly or 
indirectly) owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under 
common ownership with, another person. For purposes of this section, the 
term ``own'' means to own an equity interest (or the equivalent thereof) 
of more than 10 percent.
    Broadband Commercial Mobile Radio Service (Broadband CMRS). For the 
purposes of this section, ``broadband CMRS'' means Cellular 
Radiotelephone Service (part 22, subpart H of this chapter), Specialized 
Mobile Radio (part 90, subpart S of this chapter), and broadband 
Personal Communications Services (part 24, subpart E of this chapter).
    Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (Incumbent LEC). ``Incumbent LEC'' 
has the same meaning as that term is defined in Sec. 51.5 of this 
chapter.
    In-region. For the purposes of this section, an incumbent LEC's 
broadband CMRS service is considered ``in-region'' when 10 percent or 
more of the population covered by the CMRS affiliate's authorized 
service area, as determined by the 1990 census figures, is within the 
affiliated incumbent LEC's wireline service area.
    Rural Telephone Company. ``Rural Telephone Company'' has the same 
meaning as that term is defined in Sec. 51.5 of this chapter.
    (f) Sunset. This section will no longer be effective after January 
1, 2002.

[62 FR 63871, Dec. 3, 1997, as amended at 66 FR 10968, Feb. 21, 2001]