USTelecom Supports Sprint Bid to Lift Payphone Call Audit Duty, Seeks Broader Relief
USTelecom backed a Sprint petition to lift a payphone call tracking audit duty and asked that the relief be extended to all covered carriers. "Given the continuing decline in the number of payphone calls over the past decade, this audit…
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requirement has become unnecessary and unduly burdensome," said a filing Friday in docket 96-128. Sprint said requiring providers to certify there have been no material changes to carriers' payphone audit compliance essentially requires them to complete an audit every year, which the company said should be waived in light of the costs and industry trends (see 1704070067). "Given that for years USTelecom’s member companies have consistently shown compliance with the compensation rules, despite the declining nature of the payphone regime, coupled with the exorbitant cost of an annual audit, they agree that a waiver of the audit requirement is not only justified but also in the public interest," USTelecom wrote. It also said it supports Cincinnati Bell's comments in a telecom biennial review proceeding, "which echo the need for deregulatory measures with respect to the payphone compensation rules."