Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Reporting, FCC Form 477

FCC Form 477
Filing due 3/1/2013 (reporting data as of 12/31/2012)

Approved by OMB
3060-0816

Instructions for Local Telephone Competition and Broadband Reporting (FCC Form 477)
Contents
I.
Purpose
II. Who Must File This Form?
A. Facilities-based Providers of Broadband Connections to End User Locations
B. Providers of Wired or Fixed Wireless Local Exchange Telephone Service
C. Providers of Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service
D. Providers of Mobile Telephony Services
III. Instructions for Completing FCC Form 477
A. Login & Filer Identification (All filers)
B. Part I.A: Broadband
C. Part I.B: Broadband Availability – xDSL, Cable Modem, and Terrestrial Mobile Wireless
D. Part II.A: Local Exchange Telephone Service
E. Part II.B: Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service
F. Part III: Mobile Local Telephone
G. Part IV: Explanatory Notes
H. Part V: ZIP Code Information – Local Exchange Telephone and Interconnected VoIP
I.
Part VI: Census Tract Information – Broadband
IV. General Information
A. When to File
B. Where and How to File
C. Certification of Filing Accuracy
D. Requesting Confidentiality
E. Obligation to File Revisions
F. Compliance
V. Glossary of Selected Terms Appearing on FCC Form 477
VI. Disclosure, Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act Notice
I.

PURPOSE

FCC Form 477 collects information about broadband connections to end user locations, wired and
wireless local telephone services, and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, in
individual states. The term “state” includes the District of Columbia and the “Territories and
possessions” (see 47 U.S.C. § 153(40)). Data obtained from this form will be used to describe the
deployment of broadband infrastructure and competition to provide local telecommunications services.
For additional information about this data collection, see Development of Nationwide Broadband Data to
Evaluate Reasonable and Timely Deployment of Advanced Services to All Americans, Improvement of
Wireless Broadband Subscribership Data, and Development of Data on Interconnected Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) Subscribership, WC Docket No. 07-38, Report and Order, 23 FCC Rcd 9691;
Order on Reconsideration, 23 FCC Rcd 9800.

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II.

WHO MUST FILE THIS FORM?

Four types of entities must file this form. For purposes of this information collection, the terms “entity”
and “entities” include all commonly-controlled or commonly-owned affiliates. (See 47 U.S.C. § 153(1)
(establishing a greater than 10 percent equity interest, or the equivalent thereof, as indicia of ownership.))
A.

Facilities-based Providers of Broadband Connections to End User Locations:

Entities that are facilities-based providers of broadband connections – which, for purposes of
this information collection, are wired “lines” or wireless “channels” that enable the end user to
receive information from and/or send information to the Internet at information transfer rates
exceeding 200 kbps in at least one direction – must complete and file the applicable portions of
this form for each state in which the entity provides one or more such connections to end user
locations.
For the purposes of Form 477, a broadband “end user” is a residential, business, institutional, or
government entity who uses broadband services for its own purposes and who does not resell
such services to other entities or incorporate such services into retail Internet-access services. For
purposes of Part I of Form 477, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not an “end user” of a
broadband connection.
For the purposes of Form 477, an entity is a “facilities-based” provider of broadband
connections to end user locations if any of the following conditions are met: (1) it owns the
portion of the physical facility that terminates at the end user location; (2) it obtains unbundled
network elements (UNEs), special access lines, or other leased facilities that terminate at the end
user location and provisions/equips them as broadband, or (3) it provisions/equips a broadband
wireless channel to the end user location over licensed or unlicensed spectrum.
A non-exhaustive list of examples of such entities includes incumbent and competitive local
exchange carriers (LECs), cable system operators, fixed wireless service providers (including
“wireless ISPs”), terrestrial and satellite mobile wireless service providers, BRS providers,
electric utilities, municipalities, and other entities. Such entities do not include equipment
suppliers unless the equipment supplier uses the equipment to provision a broadband connection
that it offers to the public for sale. Such entities also do not include providers of terrestrial fixed
wireless services (e.g., “Wi-Fi” and other wireless Ethernet, or wireless local area network,
applications) that only enable local distribution and sharing of a premises broadband facility, and
they do not include air-to-ground services. The applicable portions of the form for facilitiesbased providers are: 1) Login & Filer Identification; 2) the relevant portion(s) of Part I; 3) Part IV
(if necessary); and 4) Part VI.
B.

Providers of Wired or Fixed Wireless Local Exchange Telephone Service:

Incumbent and competitive LECs must complete and file the applicable portions of the form for
each state in which they provide local exchange service to one or more end user customers
(which may include “dial-up” ISPs). For such entities, the applicable portions of the form are: 1)
Login & Filer Identification; 2) Part II.A; 3) Part IV (if necessary); and 4) Part V.

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Note: An Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (“ILEC”) is any entity that was providing
telephone exchange service (“local” phone service) in a particular area on February 8, 1996, the
date on which the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted into law. See 47 C.F.R. § 51.5.
Any other entity filing Form 477 is a “non-ILEC.”
C.

Providers of Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service:

Interconnected VoIP service is a service that enables real-time, two-way voice communications;
requires a broadband connection from the user’s location; requires Internet-protocol compatible
customer premises equipment; and permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the
public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone
network. See 47 C.F.R. § 9.3. Interconnected VoIP providers must complete and file the
applicable portions of the form for each state in which they provide interconnected VoIP service
to one or more subscribers, with the state determined for reporting purposes by the location of
the subscriber’s broadband connection or the subscriber’s “Registered Location” as of the datacollection date, as discussed in these instructions. For such entities, the applicable portions of the
form are: 1) Login & Filer Identification; 2) Part II.B; 3) Part IV (if necessary); and 4) Part V.
D.

Providers of Mobile Telephony Services:

Facilities-based providers of mobile telephony services (see 47 C.F.R. § 20.15(b)(1)) must
complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which they serve one or
more mobile telephony subscribers. A mobile telephony service is a real-time, two-way
switched voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network using an innetwork switching facility that enables the provider to reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless
handoff of subscriber calls.
A mobile telephony service provider is considered “facilities-based” if it serves a subscriber
using spectrum for which the entity holds a license, that it manages, or for which it has obtained
the right to use via lease or other arrangement with a Band Manager. For such entities, the
applicable portions the form are: 1) Login & Filer Identification; 2) Part III; and 3) Part IV (if
necessary).
Summary Chart of Applicable Portions of this Form:

Facilities-based
Providers of
Broadband
Connections to End
User Locations
Providers of Wired or
Fixed Wireless Local
Exchange Telephone
Service
Providers of
Interconnected Voice
over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) Service

Login / Filer
Information

Part I

Yes

Yes

Part II

Part
III

Part IV

Part V

Yes
(if necessary)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes
(if necessary)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes
(if necessary)

Yes

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Part VI

Providers of Mobile
Telephony Services

III.

Yes

Yes

Yes
(if necessary)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FCC FORM 477
(NOTE: Key terms that appear in this section are summarized in V. Glossary of Selected
Terms Appearing on FCC Form 477.)
A.

•

LOGIN & FILER IDENTIFICATION (All Filers)

LOGIN: At the FCC Forms page, http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html, click on the link for “477
Electronic Filing” in the “Form No.” column to reach the web-based Form 477 submission
Login Information screen Enter the FCC Registration Number (FRN) that will be used for this
submission, and the associated password. Instructions for obtaining a FRN appear at
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do.
Data must be reported on separate Form 477 submissions for each state where the entity operates.
For each state, data for ILEC operations must be reported on a separate form than data for nonILEC operations. An entity with multiple ILEC operations in a particular state may choose to
make a consolidated ILEC filing for that state. Similarly, an entity with multiple non-ILEC
operations in a state may choose to make a consolidated non-ILEC filing for that state. A holding
company, parent, or controlling entity with multiple FRNs may select the appropriate FRN to use
for any particular submission or may use a single FRN for all submissions, provided that each
submission is uniquely identified by the following items: FRN; Name of company or operations;
Type of operations (ILEC or non-ILEC); and State.
Note: If you require the graphical user interface in an accessible format for persons with
disabilities, select the “Yes” option button next to “Accessible Version”

•

FILER IDENTIFICATION: After automatically validating the LOGIN information (FRN and
password), the Form 477 graphical user interface presents a main menu screen, where the filer
will create new Form 477 submissions for entities associated with the FRN. The main menu
tracks the status of submissions as they are created, edited, and officially submitted to the FCC.
To start a new Form 477 submission, first use the main menu drop-down lists to specify the
“Data as of” date and “State” for the data to be reported in the submission. Next, use the
“Operations” option buttons to specify “ILEC” or “Non-ILEC” operations, and then click
“Create New.” The graphical user interface will then present a cover page of filer identification
information. Complete all items on the cover page that were not automatically filled with
information entered in the “Login” or “Create New” processes:

(1)

FRN (Automatically filled in with “Login” information).

(2)

Name of the company or operations whose data are reported in this submission (business entity
name associated with FRN automatically filled in).

(3)

Type of operations (ILEC or non-ILEC) for which data are reported in this submission
(automatically filled in with information from the “Create New” process).

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(4)

Use the drop-down list to select a single name, such as the holding company name, to identify all
commonly-owned or commonly-controlled entities who are filing Form 477 data. (See 47 U.S.C.
§ 153(1) (establishing a greater than 10 percent equity interest, or the equivalent thereof, as
indicia of ownership.)) Filers that have no holding company but are controlled by the same
owners should decide on a single name to use for this question. Filers that are not affiliated with
any other Form 477 filer should use the company name entered in (2); do this by selecting “same
as company name” from the list. Select “not shown” if no appropriate name appears in the list,
and enter the appropriate name in the space provided.

(5)

State for which data are reported in this submission (automatically filled in with information
from the “Create New” process). Note: You may not combine data for operations in more
than one state. For example, the only data that may be reported in a “headquarters state”
submission are data for operations within that specific state.

(6)

Name of the person who prepared this submission (this person will be the first point of contact for
any follow-up questions about the submitted data).

(7)

Telephone number and e-mail address for the contact person listed in (6).

(8)

Status of submission (automatically updated by the graphical user interface). Note:
Requirements to make revised submissions are set out in section IV.E. of these instructions.

(9)

Use the option buttons to indicate whether non-disclosure is requested for some or all of the
information in this submission because the filer believes that this information is privileged and
confidential and public disclosure of such information would likely cause substantial harm to the
competitive position of the filer.

(10)

Name of the official (corporate officer, managing partner, or sole proprietor) whose signature
certifies that he/she has examined the information contained in this Form 477 and that, to the best
of his/her knowledge, information and belief, all statements of fact contained in this Form 477 are
true and correct. For purposes of this Form 477, the entry of the official’s name on this line shall
constitute that official’s electronic signature to this certification. Persons making willful false
statements in a Form 477 can be punished by fine or imprisonment under the Communications
Act, 47 U.S.C. 220(e).

(11)

Telephone number and e-mail address for the official listed in (10).
After completing the cover page, click “Save and Return to Edit Menu” to reach the submission
menu screen (also called the edit menu). The submission/edit menu contains links to data-entry
screens for the several Parts of the Form 477.

•

GENERAL NOTE ON INTERFACE MECHANICS: Entering data into the graphical user
interface, or uploading files of Census Tract-level data, as explained later in these instructions,
may be completed over multiple work sessions. The main menu screen will generally show the
submission’s status as “Original – In Progress” during these sessions.

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•

To Save Data Entered as a Work in Progress: To save data entered in order to
complete it during a later session, or before moving between interface screens, select the
Save and Return to Edit Menu instruction bar on the interface screen prior to logging
out of a work session.

•

To Logout of a Session: The interface should be closed between sessions by selecting
Log Out at the bottom of a data-entry screen.

•

To Return to a Work in Progress: To return to an in-progress submission, from the
main menu, use the “View/Edit” link in the “View/Edit By Part” column to open the
submission menu.

•

To Edit Filer Identification Information: To edit filer identification information, use
the link at the top of the submission menu to open the cover page.

•

To Submit a Completed Application: Once all data for a particular submission have
been entered, you must officially submit the data to the FCC for that filing to be
complete. To do this, use either (a) the Submit link in the Revise/Submit column in the
main menu or (b) the Submit this Submission as Complete link that appears at the
bottom of the submission menu. Either link will take you to the Change Status of
Current Form 477 Submission screen where you must click the option button and then
select Change Status. The system will evaluate the completeness and internal
consistency of the data and return a message indicating whether the filing was accepted
or rejected. If the filing is rejected, the system will indicate the problems that must be
resolved. Once the system accepts a submission, that submission will be locked for
editing unless you reopen it for revision. You can do that by using the Revise link in the
main menu or the Revise this Submission link at the bottom of the submission menu.

Entities that require paper documentation that the FCC has accepted an official submission
may print out a copy of the interface’s main menu screen that shows “Original – Submitted” or
“Revised – Submitted” as the status of that particular submission.
B.

Part I.A: BROADBAND

INCLUDE in Part I.A: In Part I.A., facilities-based providers of broadband connections to end
user locations report information about those connections. See page 2 of these instructions for
definitions of “facilities-based provider,” “broadband connection,” and “end user.” End
users of the retail Internet access service delivered over the broadband connections reported in
Part I.A. may be billed by the filer (including affiliates), by an agent of the filer, or by an
unaffiliated entity.
In categorizing connections as “broadband,” filers should consider the end user's
authorized maximum information transfer rate (“speed”) on that connection.
Do not convert any connections reported in Part I.A into voice-grade equivalent measures.
EXCLUDE in Part I.A: Exclude the following types of connections from reporting in Part I.A:
•

Connections for cable television service and other multi-channel video programming
service, including video-on-demand type service.

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•

Connections for Internet-access services that restrict the end user to both transmitting
data to the Internet and receiving data from the Internet at information transfer rates
(“speeds”) of 200 kbps or less.

•

Connections between two locations of the same business or other end user entity (such as
point-to-point connections within private or semi-private data networks or corporate
telephone systems).

•

High-capacity connections between network components within the public switched
telephone network or the Internet (note that such connections do not terminate at an end
user location).

•

High-capacity dedicated connections (“special access” circuits) between end users and
interexchange (telephone) carrier points of presence (“toll bypass”).

General Note about Reporting Percentage Breakouts: Parts I, II, III, and VI of Form 477
direct filers to provide percentage breakouts for specific counts of connections. If disaggregated
counts exist for another purpose, then these must be used to calculate the requested percentage
breakouts. However, filers are not expected to calculate percentages based on exhaustive counts
performed solely for this task. Rather, where disaggregated counts do not exist, filers may
provide good-faith estimates of percentages based on the best information available to the filer.
For example, if there is a pricing distinction between services provided to residential end users,
then billing information may be used to estimate the percentage of connections provided to such
end users. In the absence of such information, however, filers should rely on studies done for
other purposes such as marketing and business plan information, demographic data, etc. A filer
should conduct limited special studies only in the event that it cannot provide estimates of
percentage breakouts that it reasonably expects to be accurate within plus or minus five
percentage points.
Specific Questions in Part I.A.
(1)

Report total connections (wired “lines” or wireless “channels”) to end user locations that you
(including affiliates) equipped to enable end users to receive information from and/or send
information to the Internet at information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps in at least one
direction. For reporting “category of technology employed,” report the technology used by the
portion of the connection that terminates at the end user location. If different technologies are
used in the two directions of information transfer (“downstream” and “upstream”), report the
connection in the technology category for the higher-rate direction. Only count connections
that are in service, including connections over which you (including affiliates or agents) or an
unaffiliated entity (that is not your agent) provide an Internet-access service to the end user. The
ten (10) technology categories are:
Asymmetric xDSL.
Symmetric xDSL.
Other Wireline (all copper-wire based technologies other than xDSL; Ethernet over copper and
T-1 are examples).

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Cable Modem.
Optical Carrier (fiber to the home or business end user; does not include “fiber to the curb”).
Satellite.
Terrestrial Fixed Wireless (provisioned/equipped over licensed spectrum or over spectrum used
on an unlicensed basis). General note: Fixed wireless services (e.g., “Wi-Fi” and other wireless
Ethernet or wireless local area network applications) that only enable local distribution and
sharing of a premises broadband facility should not be reported on Form 477. Note for WISPs:
Entities that use unlicensed devices to provide commercial broadband Internet access service
connections to dispersed, fixed end user locations must report those subscribers in the Terrestrial
Fixed Wireless category. By contrast, entities that use unlicensed devices to provide a
commercial broadband Internet access service that can be received at any location within a
service footprint must report those subscribers in the Terrestrial Mobile Wireless category, below,
and must comply with the reporting exclusions specified for that category.
Terrestrial Mobile Wireless (provisioned/equipped over licensed spectrum or over spectrum
used on an unlicensed basis). In Part I.A, report the number of subscribers whose device and
subscription permit them to access the lawful Internet content of their choice. Exclude
subscribers whose choice of content is restricted to only customized-for-mobile content, and
exclude subscribers whose subscription does not include, either in a bundle or as a feature added
to a voice subscription, a data plan providing the ability to transfer, on a monthly basis, either a
specified or an unlimited amount of data to and from Internet sites of the subscriber’s choice.
Note that filers who report subscribers in Part I.A must also complete Part I.B.
Electric Power Line.
All Other (any specific technology not listed above; you will identify the specific technology, or
technologies, when you complete Part VI of Form 477). Note that Ethernet over fiber should be
reported in the Optical Carrier category, and Ethernet over copper should be reported in the Other
Wireline category.
(2)

Report the percentage of total connections reported in (1) that are provided over your own local
loop facilities or the equivalent. Your own local loop facilities or the equivalent include wired
local loop facilities that you (including affiliates) own, wireless connections to end user locations
that you (including affiliates) have provisioned/equipped over spectrum that you use on an
unlicensed basis or over spectrum for which you hold a license, manage, or have obtained the
right to use via lease or other arrangement with a Band Manager, and facilities you use as part of
your system for which you obtained the right to use from unaffiliated entities as dark fiber or
satellite transponder capacity. Do not include broadband connections to end users that you
provided over UNEs, special access lines, or other leased facilities that you obtained from an
unaffiliated entity and equipped as broadband.

(3)

Report the percentage of total connections reported in (1) that are billed (or incorporated in a
service billed) to end users by the filer (including affiliates) or its agents. Do not include in this
percentage any lines reported in (1) that are billed to an unaffiliated ISP that has incorporated the
filer’s broadband service into a premium Internet-access service marketed under the unaffiliated
ISP’s own name.

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(4)

Report the percentage of total connections reported in (1) that are residential connections. For all
broadband technologies except terrestrial mobile wireless, consider connections to be
residential when they deliver Internet-access services that are primarily purchased by, designed
for, and/or marketed to residential end users. For terrestrial mobile wireless broadband, report
subscribers as “residential” when the subscription is not billed to a corporate, non-corporate
business, government, or institutional customer account.

(5)

Report the percentage of total connections reported in (1) that carry information, at the end user
location, at information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps in both directions and that are
residential connections, as specified in (4), immediately above.

(6)-(13) Break down the total connections reported in (1) to show the number of connections in each
download/upload information transfer rate combination (There are 8 categories of download
information transfer rates to the end user and 9 categories of upload information transfer rates
from the end user). Categorize the connection based on the end user's authorized maximum
download information transfer rate and authorized maximum upload information transfer rate,
and report any particular connection only once.
•

Note for all broadband technologies except terrestrial mobile wireless: In Part VI (Census
Tract Detail), you will be required to report this information for individual Census Tracts, and
also to report the percentage of the connections that are residential. For each download/upload
information transfer rate combination, the number of connections reported for a state, in Part I.A,
must equal the sum of the number of connections reported for individual Census Tracts, in Part
VI.

•

Note for terrestrial mobile wireless broadband providers: In Part I.A, you must also report
the percentage of subscriptions in each information transfer rate combination that are residential,
as specified for terrestrial mobile wireless technology in item (4), above.
C.

Part I.B: BROADBAND AVAILABILITY – xDSL, Cable Modem, and Terrestrial
Mobile Wireless

You must complete the relevant section of Part I.B if you are: (1) an ILEC (or affiliate of an
ILEC) that reported, in Part I.A, asymmetric xDSL or symmetric xDSL connections to end users
in the ILEC's service area, (2) a cable system (or affiliate of a cable system) that reported, in Part
I.A, Cable Modem connections to end users in the system's cable television service area, or (3) a
Terrestrial Mobile Wireless provider that reported subscribers in the state in Part I.A.
In Part I.B, residential end user premises include residential living units, individual living units
in institutional settings such as college dormitories and nursing homes, and other end user
locations to which you (including affiliates and agents) market services that are primarily
designed for residential use. The service area of an ILEC consists of those residential end user
premises to which the ILEC can deliver telephone service over local loop facilities (or the fixedwireless last mile equivalent) that it owns. The service area of a cable system consists of those
residential end user premises to which the system can deliver cable television service over cable
plant that it owns.
“Best estimate” guidance for ILECs and cable systems: We intend to rely on current industry
“best practices” to provide us with carefully considered estimates. Filers should note the

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following points: (1) the reported estimate of xDSL or cable modem service availability should
not require degradation, outside of normal operating parameters, of the service quality of the
filer’s most heavily purchased type(s) of xDSL or cable modem service; and (2) filers should take
into account rule-of-thumb lessons from the experience of deploying particular broadband
services in similar areas (e.g., differences between actual and theoretical availability of xDSL
service to end user premises in areas in which the service already has been deployed, such as may
arise due from loop conditioning factors and loop lengths).
Specific Questions in Part I.B.
Part I.B: Broadband – xDSL (asymmetric or symmetric). Report your best estimate of the
percentage of residential end user premises in your ILEC service area, in this state, to which your
xDSL connections (with information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps in at least one direction)
could be provided using installed distribution facilities.
Part I.B: Broadband – Cable Modem. Report your best estimate of the percentage of residential end
user premises in your cable system service area, in this state, to which your Cable Modem
connections (with information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps in at least one direction) could
be provided using installed distribution facilities
Part I.B: Broadband – Terrestrial Mobile Wireless. Report the number of subscribers whose mobile
devices are capable of sending or receiving data at information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps
in at least one direction.
D.

Part II.A: LOCAL EXCHANGE TELEPHONE SERVICE

INCLUDE in Part II.A: Report lines or wireless channels (hereafter, “lines”) in this state that
you (including affiliates) use to provide local exchange or exchange access services that allow
end users to originate and/or terminate local telephone calls on the public switched network,
whether used by the end user for voice telephone calls or for other types of calls carried over the
public switched network (for example, lines used for facsimile equipment or lines used
occasionally or exclusively for “dial-up” connection to the Internet). See “Note for reporting
channelized service,” below.
EXCLUDE in Part II.A: Do not report lines not yet in service, lines used for interoffice
trunking, company official lines, or lines used for special access service. Do not report any lines
that connect two locations of the same end user customer, ISP, or communications carrier. Where
you are already reporting the portion of a circuit between the end user and your switching center,
do not separately count the portion of that circuit between your switching center and a circuit
switched, Internet protocol, or ATM network, irrespective of whether you multiplexed the circuit
onto a higher-capacity facility between your switching center and that network.
Note for reporting channelized service: In (1) and (2) of Part II.A, providers must report
voice-grade equivalent lines. Count as one voice-grade equivalent line: traditional analog
POTS lines, Centrex-CO extensions, and Centrex-CU trunks. Count lines based on how they
are charged to the customer rather than how they are physically provisioned. That is, when
a customer is charged for channelized service, report the number of activated, charged-for
channels rather than the theoretical capacity of the line. Examples: Count Basic Rate Integrated
(BRI) Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines as two voice-grade equivalent lines. Count fullychannelized PRI circuits (including PRIs that are used exclusively to provide local connectivity to

10

“dial-up” ISPs) as 23 voice-grade equivalent lines. But report, for example, 8 voice-grade
equivalent lines if a customer is charged for 8 trunks that happen to be provisioned over a DS1
circuit. If a customer is charged for a fully-channelized DS1 circuit, however, report 24 voicegrade equivalent lines. In (3) and (4) of Part II.A, however, any high-capacity UNEs should not
be reported in voice-grade equivalents. UNEs should be reported as actual circuit counts.
Note for competitive LECs providing local exchange service over hybrid fiber-coaxial cable
systems: If you cannot determine the number of lines from your records, you may report the
number of subscribers.
Specific Questions in Part II.A – Numbers.
(1)(a): Report total voice-grade equivalent lines that you (including affiliates and agents) provided – that
is, billed – directly to end users. Include lines provided to end users by your agents or under
traditional marketing arrangements; for example, include lines provided to shared-tenant service
providers. Note that an ISP may be an end user of local exchange service lines. For example, a
“dial-up” ISP may purchase channelized PRI circuits so that its customers can reach it via a local
telephone call.
(2)(a): Report total voice-grade equivalent local telephone service lines that you provided to unaffiliated
telecommunications carriers under a resale arrangements including, among others, commercial
agreements that replaced UNE-P and resold services such as local exchange, Centrex, and
channelized special access.
(3)(a): Report the number of circuits you provided to unaffiliated telecommunications carriers under a
UNE loop arrangement, where you do not provide switching for that circuit. Do not convert any
high capacity circuits provided under such UNE arrangements into voice-grade equivalent
measures.
(4)(a): Report the number of circuits you provided to unaffiliated telecommunications carriers under a
UNE loop arrangement, where you also provide switching for that circuit (i.e., “UNE-Platform”).
Do not convert any high-capacity circuits provided under such UNE arrangements into voicegrade equivalent measures. Note: UNE-P no longer exists as a required unbundling obligation.
Specific Questions in Part II.A – Percentages.
See “General note about reporting percentage breakouts” in the instructions for Part I.A, above.
(b):

Report the percentage of the lines reported in (a) that are used for residential service. Include
lines provided to shared-tenant service providers in apartment buildings and similar residential
settings. ILEC filers may report based on the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are tariffed
residential lines, with an appropriate adjustment for lines provided under shared-tenant service
arrangements. Carriers that do not have separate residential tariffs or price lists should use
marketing or other information about the demographic characteristics of the areas they serve to
develop a comparable estimate, or should undertake a limited special study.

(c):

Report the percentage of the lines reported in (a) for which you (including affiliates) are the
presubscribed interstate long distance carrier, i.e., the (facilities-based or reseller) carrier to which

11

an interstate long distance call is routed automatically, without the use of any access code by the
end user.
(d):

Report the percentage of the lines reported in (a) that are used for residential service (as specified
in the instructions for column (b), above) and for which you (including affiliates) are the
presubscribed interstate long distance carrier (as specified in the instructions for (c), above).

(e):

Report the percentage of the lines reported in (a) that are provided over your own local loop
facilities connecting to the end user’s premises or the equivalent. Count as your own such
facilities, those wired local loop facilities you (including affiliates) own, those facilities you
obtain the right to use from unaffiliated entities as dark fiber or satellite transponder capacity (and
that you use as part of your own system), those fixed-wireless connections to end user premises
that are deployed over spectrum for which you hold a license, manage, or have obtained the right
to use via lease or other agreement with a Band Manager, or those fixed-wireless connections that
are deployed over spectrum that you use on an unlicensed basis. Do not include, in (e), lines
provided over UNE loops, special access lines, or other leased lines that you obtained from an
unaffiliated carrier. NOTE: A competitive LEC should include, in (e), a line for which it
provided its own switching only if it also owned (as just discussed) the local loop facilities that
connect to the end user’s premises.

(f):

Report the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are provided over UNE loops that you obtained
from an unaffiliated carrier without also obtaining UNE switching from that carrier.

(g):

Report the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are provided over UNE-Platform (i.e., the
combination of loop UNE, switching UNE, and transport UNE) that you obtained from an
unaffiliated carrier (but treat commercial agreements that replaced UNE-P as “provided by
reselling” in (h), below).

(h):

Report the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are provided by reselling unaffiliated-carrier
services including, among others, commercial agreements that replaced UNE-P and resold
services such as local exchange, Centrex/Centron, and channelized special access.

(i):

Report the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are delivered over optical fiber facilities used in
the part of the line that connects to the end user premises.

(j):

Report the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are delivered over coaxial cable facilities used
in the part of the line that connects to the end user premises.

(k):

Report the percentage of lines reported in (a) that are delivered over fixed wireless facilities
connecting to the end user premises.
E.

Part II.B: INTERCONNECTED VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VoIP)
SERVICE

Reporting Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions by State. If the interconnected VoIP provider also
provides a broadband connection to its subscriber (retail customer), then the interconnected VoIP
subscriber must be reported in the same state as the broadband connection. If not, the interconnected
VoIP subscriber must be reported in the state of the subscriber’s “Registered Location” as of the datacollection date (i.e., June 30 or December 31). “Registered Location” is the most recent information
obtained by an interconnected VoIP service provider that identifies the physical location of an end user.

12

See 47 C.F.R. § 9.3 (in the part of the FCC rules setting E911 requirements for interconnected VoIP).
Note on counting subscriptions: If your retail customer purchases a service (or services) that allows
more than one interconnected VoIP call to be made from the customer’s physical location at the same
time, you must count the maximum number of interconnected VoIP calls that the customer may have
active – at the same time – under the terms of your service agreement(s) with that customer.
Specific Questions in Part II.B – Numbers.
(1)(a): Report the number of interconnected VoIP subscriptions in the state that end users purchased
from you without also purchasing a broadband connection from you (including affiliates).
(2)(a): Report the number of interconnected VoIP subscriptions in the state that end users purchased
from you (including affiliates) in conjunction with the purchase of a broadband connection.
(3)(a): Report the number of wholesale customers who purchased your VoIP service to resell as their
own VoIP service. (Do not count the number of VoIP components or services they purchased.)
Wholesale customers should be reported in the particular state(s) where they are reselling service.
Specific Questions in Part II.B – Percentages.
See “General note about reporting percentage breakouts” in the instructions for Part I.A, above.
(b):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that you provided under your residential
grade service plans.

(c):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that were purchased under terms that allow
use with any broadband connection (“nomadic” functionality). Do not include in this percentage
those subscriptions that must be used over a single predetermined broadband connection.

(d):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that you (including affiliates) provided in
conjunction with a copper wire-based broadband connection (DSL or Other Wireline).

(e):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that you (including affiliates) provided in
conjunction with a fiber-to-the-end-user broadband connection.

(f):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that you (including affiliates) provided in
conjunction with a Cable Modem broadband connection.

(g):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that you (including affiliates) provided in
conjunction with a Terrestrial Fixed Wireless broadband connection.

(h):

Report the percentage of subscriptions reported in (a) that you (including affiliates) provided in
conjunction with any other type of broadband connection.
F.

Part III: MOBILE LOCAL TELEPHONE

In Part III, report all mobile voice telephony subscribers served over your own facilities that give
customers the ability to place or receive calls from the public switched telephone network. Include:

13

satellite, cellular, and PCS telephone service and other terrestrial mobile services; and, units in service
that combine voice telephone with other services. Report subscribers that you (including affiliates) serve
using spectrum for which you hold a license, manage, or have obtained the right to use via lease or other
agreement with a Band Manager. Do not report any subscribers that you serve by reselling an
unaffiliated carrier’s mobile telephone service.
Note: Exclude mobile services that customers cannot use to directly place calls to subscribers of ordinary
telephone service, such as dispatch services and one-way or two-way paging services. Also exclude voice
services that permit communications between only a narrow range of locations such as automobile units
that permit drivers to communicate only with a specific road service.
Specific Questions in Part III.
(1)(a): Report the total number of mobile voice telephony subscribers in the state that are served over
your own facilities. Count as a subscriber a mobile handset, car-phone, or other revenuegenerating, active, voice unit that has a unique phone number and that can place and receive calls
from the public switched network. Include in column (a) subscribers that you (including
affiliates) bill directly (including through agents), pre-paid subscribers, and subscribers served via
unaffiliated mobile telephone service resellers. Subscriber counts by state should be based on the
area codes of the phone numbers provided to subscribers.
(1)(b): Report the percentage of subscribers in column (a) that you bill directly (including through
agents) or serve on a pre-paid basis. Do not include subscribers that are billed by an unaffiliated
mobile telephone service reseller.
G.

Part IV: EXPLANATORY NOTES

Part IV provides space to furnish relevant explanatory information with your data. For example, an
explanation should be provided if a percentage figure has changed noticeably from earlier submissions.
Filers must identify the Part and question to which each comment pertains.
H.

Part V: ZIP-CODE INFORMATION – LOCAL EXCHANGE TELEPHONE AND
INTERCONNECTED VoIP

If you reported local exchange telephone lines in service to your end user customers in Part II.A (1), or
VoIP subscriptions that end users purchased from you in Part II.B (1) or (2), you must list the 5-digit ZIP
Codes in the state in which you had end user customers. Do not include any ZIP Codes in which you
offered your local exchange telephone or interconnected VoIP service but had no end user customers. Do
not include any out-of-state ZIP Codes. ZIP Code lists should be reviewed prior to submission to
eliminate any out-of-state ZIP Codes, as such ZIP Codes may appear in lists generated directly from
billing databases.
Specific instructions for Part V: Type all 5-digit ZIP Codes in the indicated text box, separated by
either commas, spaces, or carriage returns.
I.

Part VI: CENSUS TRACT INFORMATION – BROADBAND

Entities that complete Part I.A must also complete Part VI.

14

•

For each broadband technology except terrestrial mobile wireless, Part VI collects
information about broadband connections the filer has in service to end user locations in each of
the Census Tracts in which the filer (or its affiliate) has a defined service territory for operations
that are subject to Form 477 reporting. [Note that the number of broadband connections in
service might be zero in some of these Census Tracts.] Filers that do not have such a defined
service territory must report Census-Tract detail data for each Census Tract in which the filer
provides services subject to Form 477 reporting.
For the purposes of Part VI, a defined service territory has boundaries that are established by
state constitution, by state or local regulation, or by the Federal Communications Commission
acting in lieu of state regulation. Defined service territories include (but are not necessarily
limited to) cable TV franchise areas, ILEC study areas, and the “study area” of any eligible
telecommunications carrier designated under section 214(e) of the Telecommunications Act of
1996 to be eligible to receive specific Federal universal service support.

•

For terrestrial mobile wireless technology, Part VI collects information about services offered
within the filer’s mobile wireless broadband service area.

General note about Census Tracts: Census Tracts are geographic entities within counties (or the
statistical equivalent of counties). The entire area and population of a county are covered by Census
Tracts. Census Tracts within a county are identified by a 4-digit basic number between 0001 and 9999,
and may have a 2-digit suffix ranging from .01 to .98; for example, 6059.02. The decimal point
separating the 4-digit basic tract number from the 2-digit suffix is shown in U.S. Census Bureau printed
reports and maps. However, in computer-readable files prepared by the Census Bureau, the decimal point
is implied and does not appear. A Census Tract number may not be used more than once in a single
county, but it may be used again in a different county in the same state or in a county in a different state.
Therefore, a particular Census Tract within the nation can be fully identified by: its state, its county, and
its Census Tract number. Alternatively, the particular Census Tract can be fully identified by an 11-digit
number consisting of a 2-digit code for the state, a 3-digit code for the county (either of which may
include one or more “leading” zeros), and 6 digits for the census tract (including any leading zeros, and
also two “trailing” zeros in the many cases in which the basic Census Tract number has no suffix). For
example, the Office of the California Secretary of State, located at 1500 11th St, Sacramento, CA 95814,
can be fully identified by the 11-digit number 06067001101, in which:
06 – identifies California,
067 – identifies Sacramento County within California, and
001101 – identifies Census Tract 11.01 within Sacramento County.
(The 2-digit state code and 3-digit county code are Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
codes. See, for example, http://www.census.gov/geo/www/fips/fips65/index.html, where the “Search by
county name” function will provide both state and county FIPS codes.)
There are a variety of public resources and commercial products for matching a street address with the
Census Tract in which it is located. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)
provides a free address-matching tool at http://www.ffiec.gov/Geocode/default.aspx. (Note: To match
addresses to 2010 Census tracts, be sure that “2012” shows in the “Year” box of this tool.) The Census
Bureau’s “Address Search” tool, at http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml, uses
tract definitions from the 2010 Census. Additional information about 2010 Census geography is available
at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/, including a link to Census Tract Reference Maps, at
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/pl10_map_suite/tract.html, and files that show how Census 2000
Census Tracts relate to 2010 Census Tracts, at
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/tract_rel/tract_rel.html.

15

Specific Questions in Part VI.
Census Tract-level data may be entered into the graphical user interface one technology and one Census
Tract at a time. Alternatively, the data may be submitted by uploading one or more data files.
Instructions for manual entry are presented first, followed by instructions for the File Upload
Alternative.
Specify Broadband Technology and Identify Census Tracts – Manual Entry:
•

Technologies Other Than Terrestrial Mobile Wireless: At the bottom of the submission
menu, click on “Manually Enter Census Tract Detail Data.” At the resulting screen, for each
technology for which connections were reported in Part I.A(1), and for each Census Tract in the
defined service territory (as defined above), use the drop-down lists to specify: Technology,
County, and Census Tract.

•

Terrestrial Mobile Wireless: Use the steps set out in the previous bullet to identify those
Census Tracts that best represent your mobile wireless broadband service area in this state.

Report Broadband Information by Census Tract – Manual Entry:
•

Technologies Other Than Terrestrial Mobile Wireless: For each technology and Census
Tract, report the number of broadband connections in each relevant download/upload information
transfer rate combination, and the percentage residential.
Note for filers with a “defined service territory” for Form 477 reporting purposes. If the
filer had zero broadband connections in service in a Census Tract in its defined service territory
(discussed above), then – for each technology for which connections were reported in Part I.A –
report zero connections and zero percentage residential in any single set of cells that allows
manual data entry.
Note on Data Consistency: The number of connections reported in the individual Census Tracts
in Part VI, for any particular download/upload information transfer rate, must sum to the total
number reported for the state in Part I.A. The percentage residential information reported at the
Census Tract level and at the state level must be internally consistent within the parameters set for
reporting percentage breakouts in Form 477; see “General note about reporting percentage
breakouts” in the instructions for Part I.A, above.

•

For Terrestrial Mobile Wireless broadband technology: For each of the Census Tracts you
specified that best represent your on-own-network mobile wireless broadband service area in
the state, you must “click” check marks into the relevant data-entry boxes to specify the
download/upload information transfer rates of the services you offer, in that Census Tract, for the
purpose of accessing the lawful Internet content of the subscriber’s choice. Base your response
on the service subscriber’s authorized maximum download and upload information transfer rates.

File Upload Alternative. At the bottom of the submission menu, click on “Data File Upload for All
Parts” and, at the resulting screen, look for the option “Raw data upload file for Part VI detail.”
Individual files must contain not more than 100,000 rows. The file(s) must be in a comma delimited
format with one row per Census Tract / Upload rate / Download rate / Technology combination. All
fields are required except “Technology Code Other.” Detailed information about the file format follows.

16

Position

Value

Data Type

Description

County FIPS

Integer up to 3 digits

County FIPS Code (see General Note about
Census Tracts, above).

2

Census Tract

Numeric: A number
up to 4 digits,
followed by a
decimal, followed
by a number up to 2
digits

Tracts are denoted by a 4 digit number
sometimes followed by a decimal and 2 digit
suffix. Tract 1 can be entered as simply “1” or as
“0001.00”. Tract 107.03 can be entered as
“107.03” or “0107.03”.

3

Upload Rate

Integer

Upload rate as defined in the “Upload Rates”
table detailed below.

4

Download
Rate

Integer

Download rate as defined in the “Download
Rates” table below.

Integer

Technology Code as defined in the “Technology
Code” table below. Note that positions 7 and 8
for “Terrestrial Mobile Wireless" are treated
differently than for all other technologies. For
the purpose of this data upload, when compiling
your file for submission enter the integer 1 in
position 7 and 0 (numeric zero) in position 8 for
any Census Tracts containing data for
"Terrestrial Mobile Wireless."

Integer
or empty

If you specified technology code ‘0’ (zero) for
“All Other” in position 5, you must enter a code
for the specific technology in position 6, as
indicated in the example below. Note that
"Ethernet" is not a valid "All Other" technology.
Leave position 6 blank if you used Technology
Codes 1 through 9 in position 5.

Integer

Number of connections in this Census Tract for
this combination of technology code, upload
rate, download rate.

Number
three decimal places

The percentage of connections for this
combination of technology code, upload rate,
download rate which are "Residential". The
format for percentage data input is "XXX.XXX".
For example, if 1/2 of the connections in a
Census Tract are residential, enter "50" or
"50.000" for this value. "0.50" will be translated
as one half of one percent.

1

5

Technology
Code

6

Technology
Code Other

7

Number of
Connections

8

Percentage
Residential

17

Rate Code
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Upload Rates
Description
Less than or equal to 200 kbps
Greater than 200 kbps and less
than 768 kbps
Greater than or equal to 768 kbps
and less than 1.5 mbps
Greater than or equal to 1.5 mbps
and less than 3 mbps
Greater than or equal to 3 mbps
and less than 6 mbps
Greater than or equal to 6 mbps
and less than 10 mbps
Greater than or equal to 10 mbps
and less than 25 mbps
Greater than or equal to 25 mbps
and less than 100 mbps
Greater than or equal to 100 mbps

Rate Code
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Download Rates
Description
Greater than 200 kbps and less than
768 kbps
Greater than or equal to 768 kbps
and less than 1.5 mbps
Greater than or equal to 1.5 mbps
and less than 3 mbps
Greater than or equal to 3 mbps and
less than 6 mbps
Greater than or equal to 6 mbps and
less than 10 mbps
Greater than or equal to 10 mbps and
less than 25 mbps
Greater than or equal to 25 mbps and
less than 100 mbps
Greater than or equal to 100 mbps

Technology Code
Technology
Code
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0

Description
Asymmetric xDSL
Symmetric xDSL
Other Wireline
Cable Modem
Optical Carrier (fiber to the end user)
Satellite
Terrestrial Fixed Wireless
Terrestrial Mobile Wireless
Electric Power Line
All Other

Technology Code Other
This code requires the entry of ‘0’ (zero) for
Technology Code.
Other
Technology
Description
Code
Other Tech Value #1
1
Enter a new "Other" Technology Code

Note for filers with a “defined service territory” for Form 477 reporting purposes. If the
filer had zero broadband connections in service in a Census Tract in its defined service territory

18

(discussed above), then – for each technology for which connections were reported in Part I.A –
enter zero for number of connections and zero for percentage residential in a single row in which
the upload and download rate codes match any single rate combination for which connections
were reported in Part I.A.
IV.

GENERAL INFORMATION

A.

When to File

•

March 1st of each year: providers must file data as of December 31 of the preceding year.

•

September 1st of each year: providers must file data as of June 30 of the same year.

Note: FCC rules provide that, if the above filing date falls on a holiday, the filing is due the next business
day. The term “holiday” means Saturday, Sunday, officially recognized Federal legal holidays and any
other day on which the Commission’s offices are closed and not reopened prior to 5:30 p.m. The term
“business day” means all days which are not “holidays” as defined above.
B.

Where and How to File

FCC Form 477 must be filed electronically using the Form 477 graphical user interface that is available
on the Internet at the following address: http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html. (The interface also may be
reached via the “Electronic Filing” link on the left-hand side of the “Form 477 Resources for Filers” page
at http://www.fcc.gov/form477/.) See Login instructions (p. 4), General Note on Interface Mechanics
(pp. 5-6), and File Upload Alternative (pp. 16-18), above.
C.

Certification of Filing Accuracy

Each Form 477 submission must include, in the line for item (10) of the filer identification information,
the name of the official (corporate officer, managing partner, or sole proprietor) whose signature certifies
that he/she has examined the information contained in this Form 477 and that, to the best of
his/her knowledge, information and belief, all statements of fact contained in this Form 477 are true and
correct. For purposes of this Form 477, the entry of the official’s name on this line shall constitute that
official’s electronic signature to this certification. Persons making willful false statements in a Form 477
can be punished by fine or imprisonment under the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 220(e).
D.

Requesting Confidentiality

Filers may submit a request that information in a Form 477 submission not be made routinely available
for public inspection by so indicating in item (9) of the filer identification information for that
submission. See also 47 C.F.R. §§ 0.457, 0.459, 1.7001(d), 43.11(c); Examination of the Current Policy
Concerning the Treatment of Confidential Information Submitted to the Commission, FCC 98-184 (rel.
Aug. 4, 1998).
E.

Obligation to File Revisions

Filers must submit revised data if the filer discovers a significant error. For counts, a difference
amounting to 5 percent or more of the filed number is considered significant and requires that filers
submit the revised data. For percentages, a difference of 5 percentage points or more is significant and
requires that filers submit revised data.

19

F.

Compliance

Service providers that are required to file the Form 477 but fail to do so may be subject to enforcement
action under sections 502 and 503 of the Communications Act and any other applicable law. See 47
U.S.C. §§ 502, 503.
V.

GLOSSARY OF SELECTED TERMS APPEARING ON FCC FORM 477

The following terms are as defined for the specific purposes of this information collection. The filer must
interpret these terms in the context of the detailed reporting instructions, above.
Part I: Broadband
Broadband connections: Lines (or wireless channels) that terminate at an end user location and enable the end
user to receive information from and/or send information to the Internet at information transfer rates exceeding 200
kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one direction. But see also, Terrestrial Mobile Wireless broadband connections,
below.
Defined service territory: An area whose boundaries are established by state constitution, by state or local
regulation, or by the Federal Communications Commission acting in lieu of state regulation. Defined service
territories include (but are not necessarily limited to) cable TV franchise areas, ILEC study areas, and the “study
area” of any eligible telecommunications carrier designated under section 214(e) of the Telecommunications Act of
1996 to be eligible to receive specific Federal universal service support.
End user: Residential, business, institutional and government entities who use broadband services for their own
purposes and who do not resell such services to other entities or incorporate such services into retail Internet-access
services. For purposes of Part I of Form 477, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not an “end user” of a broadband
connection.
Facilities-based broadband provider: A provider of broadband connections to end user locations that owns the
portion of the physical facility that terminates at the end user location, obtains unbundled network elements (UNEs),
special access lines, or other leased facilities that terminate at end user locations and provisions/equips them as
broadband, or provisions/equips broadband wireless channels to end user location over licensed spectrum or over
spectrum that the provider uses on an unlicensed basis.
Local loop: For purposes of this data collection, the “last mile” facilities (either wired facilities or the wireless
equivalent) between a central office and the end user premises in a telephone network, a node and the end user
premises in a cable network, or the analogous portion of the facilities of other providers of telephone service or
broadband connections.
Own local loop facilities: Those wired local loop facilities that the filer (including affiliates) actually owns as well
as facilities that the filer obtains the right to use from unaffiliated entities as dark fiber or satellite transponder
capacity (and that the filer uses as part of its own system). Also, for purposes of Part I of Form 477, broadband
wireless connections to end user locations that the filer provisions/equips as broadband over licensed spectrum or
over spectrum that the filer uses on an unlicensed basis. For the purposes of Part I of Form 477, this term does not
include UNE loops, special access lines, or other leased lines that the filer obtains from an unaffiliated entity and
equips as broadband.
Residential broadband connection: For the purposes of Part I of Form 477, broadband connections of a type (as
indicated by, e.g., price, “speed,” or other features) that is primarily purchased by, designed for, and/or marketed to
residential end users.
Residential end user premises: Residential living units (e.g., single family dwellings and individual households in
multiple dwelling units such as apartments, condominiums, mobile home parks, etc.) and also individual living units
in such institutional settings as college dormitories and nursing homes. Also includes other end user locations to
which you (including affiliates and agents) market broadband services that are primarily designed for residential use.

20

Terrestrial Mobile Wireless broadband connections: For purposes specifically of Part I.A of Form 477,
subscribers whose device and subscription permit them to access the lawful Internet content of their choice. This
excludes subscribers whose choice of content is restricted to only customized-for-mobile content, and excludes
subscribers whose subscription does not include, either in a bundle or as a feature added to a voice subscription, a
data plan providing the ability to transfer, on a monthly basis, either a specified or an unlimited amount of data to
and from Internet sites of the subscriber’s choice.

Part II: Local Exchange Telephone Service, and Interconnected VoIP Service
End user: Residential, business, institutional and government entities who use services for their own purposes and
who do not resell such services to other entities.
Incumbent local exchange carrier (incumbent LEC, or ILEC): The company that was providing telephone
exchange service (“local” phone service) in a particular area on February 8, 1996, the date on which the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted into law. See 47 C.F.R. § 51.5.
Interconnected VoIP Service: A service that enables real-time, two-way voice communications; requires a
broadband connection from the user’s location; requires Internet-protocol compatible customer premises equipment;
and permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate
calls to the public switched telephone network. See C.F.R. § 9.3.
Interconnected VoIP Subscription: Interconnected VoIP service purchased by an end user (that is, by an entity
that does not resell the VoIP service to other entities). By contrast, interconnected VoIP “wholesale customers”
purchase VoIP components or services and resell them to end users or to other wholesalers. See p. 13 of these
Instructions for how to count subscriptions and wholesale customers.
Local loop: See the definition provided for Part I, above.
Own local loop facilities: Those wired local loop facilities that the filer (including affiliates) actually owns as well
as facilities that the filer obtains the right to use from unaffiliated entities as dark fiber or satellite transponder
capacity (and that the filer uses as part of its own system). Also, for purposes of Part II of Form 477, fixed wireless
voice-grade channels to end user locations that the filer provisions/equips over licensed spectrum or over spectrum
that the filer uses on an unlicensed basis. For the purposes of Part II of Form 477, the term does not include voicegrade channels to end user premises that the filer provisions over UNE loops, special access lines, or other leased
lines that the filer obtains from an unaffiliated carrier.
Presubscribed interstate long distance carrier: The (facilities-based or reseller) carrier to which an interstate
long distance call is routed automatically, without the use of any access code by the end user.
Registered location: The most recent information obtained by an interconnected VoIP service provider that
identifies the physical location of an end user. See 47 C.F.R. § 9.3.
Residential lines: Lines provided to residential end user premises. Also includes any lines the filer provides to a
shared-tenant service provider in an apartment building or similar residential setting.
UNE-Platform: The combination of loop UNE, switching UNE, and transport UNE. (UNEs are defined in the
FCC Rules. See 47 C.F.R § 51.319.) UNE-P no longer exists as a required unbundling obligation.
Voice-grade equivalent: Generally, the number of DS0 (64 kbps) lines/channels in a higher-capacity circuit. In the
context of Part II of Form 477, see “Note for reporting channelized service” in the detailed instructions, above.
Voice telephone service: Local exchange or exchange access services that allow end users to originate and/or
terminate local telephone calls on the public switched network, whether used by the end user for voice telephone
calls or for other types of calls carried over the public switched network (for example, lines connected to facsimile
equipment or lines used occasionally or exclusively for “dial-up” connection to the Internet).

21

Part III: Mobile Local Telephone
Mobile voice telephony subscribers: A mobile handset, car-phone, or other revenue-generating, active, voice unit
that has a unique phone number and that can place and receive calls from the public switched network.
Own facilities: Spectrum for which the filer (including affiliates) holds a license, manages, or has obtained the
right to use via lease or other agreement with a Band Manager.

VI.

DISCLOSURE, PRIVACY ACT, PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT NOTICE

The Privacy Act of 1974 and the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 require that when we ask you for
information, we must first tell you our legal right to ask for the information, why we are asking for it, and
how it will be used. We must also tell you what could happen if we do not receive it and whether your
response is voluntary, required to obtain a benefit, or mandatory under the law. See Privacy Act of 1974,
P.L. 93-579, December 31, 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a (e)(3), and the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, P.L.
No. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. § 3501, et seq.
Our legal right to ask for this information is sections 1.7000-1.7002, 20.15, 43.01, 43.11 of the Federal
Communications Commission's rules. 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.7000-1.7002, 20.15, 43.01, 43.11. Your response
is mandatory.
This collection of information stems from the Commission's authority under sections 1-5, 11, 201-205,
211, 215, 218-220, 251-271, 303(r), 332, 403, 502, and 503 of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. §§ 151-155, 161, 201-205, 211, 215, 218-220, 251-271, 303(r), 332, 403, 502, and
503, and section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 157nt. The data in
the Form 477 will be used to monitor the deployment of broadband services and the development of local
telephone service competition. Summary information derived from the form will be made available to the
public in a manner consistent with the Commission's rules and orders.
The time needed to complete and file Form 477 will vary depending on individual circumstances. Each
semi-annual response to this information collection will consist of one or more state-specific reports.
There is significant variation among respondents in the number of state-specific reports and in the amount
of information in a state-specific report. The estimated average time needed to complete and file a statespecific report is 65 hours. The estimated average time needed to make a semi-annual response
consisting of one or more state-specific reports is 289 hours. Both estimates are national averages and do
not necessarily reflect a “typical” case. Our estimates include the time to read the instructions, look
through existing records, gather and maintain the required data, enter the data in the Form 477 on-line
template, and submit it electronically. If you have any comments on this estimate, or how we can
improve the collection and reduce the burden it causes you, please write the Federal Communications
Commission, AMD-PERM, Washington, D.C. 20554, Paperwork Reduction Project (3060-0816). We
also will accept your comments via the Internet if you send them to PRA@fcc.gov. DO NOT SEND
COMPLETED FCC FORM 477 TO THIS ADDRESS.
Remember -- You are not required to respond to a collection of information sponsored by the Federal
government, and the government may not conduct or sponsor this collection, unless it displays a currently
valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. This collection has been assigned an
OMB control number of 3060-0816.

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The Commission is authorized under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to collect the
personal information we request in this form. If we believe there may be a violation or potential violation
of a statute or a Commission regulation, rule, or order, your filing may be referred to the Federal, state, or
local agency responsible for investigating, prosecuting, enforcing, or implementing the statute, rule,
regulation, or order. In certain cases, the information in your filing may be disclosed to the Department
of Justice, court, or other adjudicative body when (a) the Commission; or (b) any employee of the
Commission; or (c) the United States government, is a party to a proceeding before the body or has an
interest in the proceeding.
Reporting entities failing to file Form 477 in a timely fashion may be subject to penalties under the
Communications Act, including sections 502 and 503(b).

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