Quartely PIU Certification - Free Consultation and Evaluation

The FCC is ordering calling card companies to perform traffic studies and issue certifications four times a year to determine how much of your traffic is interstate. This certification, which goes to both the FCC and your transport carrier(s), must be signed by an officer of your company under a penalty of perjury.

To help you tackle this requirement, we offer a free evaluation. All we need is a copy of your latest 499. 

Notes from our FCC attorney:

DECLARATORY RULING AND REPORT AND ORDER

Adopted: June 1, 2006 Released: June 30, 2006

FCC 06-79

As a result of this Order, providers of prepaid calling cards that are menu-driven or use IP transport to offer telecommunications services are obligated to pay interstate or intrastate access charges based on the location of the called and calling parties. 

The Commission addressed the logistics of requiring all prepaid calling card service providers to pay intrastate and interstate access charges.  The Commission recognized that, as with other services that require the caller to dial an access number, the assessment of interstate and intrastate access charges based on the location of the called and calling parties can be complicated with respect to prepaid calling card traffic because the caller initially dials the 8YY number associated with the calling card platform and only later dials the number of the called party.  As a result, the originating carrier will not be able to determine the appropriate jurisdiction of the call based on a comparison of the calling and called numbers because it only will know the 8YY number associated with the platform, not the telephone number of the called party.  Moreover, unless the calling party number (CPN) is passed, the terminating carrier will face a similar problem.

The Commission found that these complications can be addressed through certification and reporting requirements that compel the prepaid calling card provider to share the necessary information with the carriers that it uses to transport traffic to and from the platform.

The Commission cautioned, however, that as with any other service subject to the Commission’s rules, if prepaid calling card providers do not comply with the new certification and reporting rules they will be subject to the Commission’s enforcement authority, including complaints and forfeitures.