Regulation of International Accounting Rates

On April 9, 1996, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Third Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration (``Order'') that establishes standards for reporting when a carrier interconnects an international private line to the U.S. Public Switched Network (PSN). With this Order we require that any carrier that interconnects an international private line to the PSN at the central office report on an annual basis its arrangements for such interconnection. However, we require these carriers to fulfill their Sec. 43.15 notification requirements by filing only information on the country of origin, and number and type of private lines interconnected for each customer during the reporting period. This decision reaffirms our longstanding policy of allowing end users to interconnect their international private lines to the public switched network for their own use, while enabling us to better monitor the effects of our resale rules. In taking this action, the Commission's objective is to enhance its ability to monitor and assess the impact of end user interconnections on our international settlements policy, and to enhance the ability of the Commission and interested parties to monitor for unauthorized private line resale, while being sensitive to end users' reluctance to disclose commercially sensitive or proprietary information.