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 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  00-  2877 
 Before  the 
 Federal  Communications  Commission 
 Washington,  D.  C.  20554 


 In  the  Matter  of 
 CenturyTel,  Inc.  and  CenturyTel  of  Washington, 
 Inc. 


 Request  for  Extension  of  Time  to  Submit  Cost 
 Allocation  Manual  Attestation  Reports  and  File 
 ARMIS  Reports 


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 ASD  File  No.  00-  45 


 ORDER 
 Adopted:  December  20,  2000  Released:  December  21,  2000 
 By  the  Chief,  Accounting  Safeguards  Division: 
 1.  On  December  5,  2000,  CenturyTel,  Inc.  and  CenturyTel  of  Washington,  Inc.  (collectively, 
 “Century”)  1  requested  a  six-  month  extension  of  time,  from  the  date  the  Commission  releases  a  Report  and 
 Order  in  CC  Docket  No.  00-  199,  to  file  its  initial  Automated  Reporting  Management  Information  System 
 (ARMIS)  reports,  2  file  cost  allocation  manual  (CAM)  revisions,  3  and  obtain  a  CAM  audit.  4  As  discussed 
 below,  we  hereby  grant  extensions  of  time  to  file  the  ARMIS  Reports  and  the  CAM  attestation  report. 


 2.  Century  provides  several  reasons  why  the  extension  of  time  should  be  granted.  Century 
 contends  that  a  significant  amount  of  time  is  needed  to  prepare  the  initial  ARMIS  reports,  and  it  would  not 


 1  Century  is  a  mid-  sized  carrier.  A  mid-  sized  carrier  as  an  incumbent  local  exchange  carrier  (LEC)  with 
 aggregate  revenues  below  $7  billion,  even  if  any  individual  affiliated  incumbent  LEC  is  a  Class  A  company  due 
 to  annual  operating  revenues  from  regulated  telecommunications  operations  equal  to  or  greater  than  the  indexed 
 revenue  threshold.  See  Biennial  Regulatory  Review  –  Review  of  Accounting  and  Cost  Allocation  Requirements, 
 Report  and  Order  in  CC  Docket  No.  98-  81,  Order  on  Reconsideration  in  CC  Docket  No.  96-  150,  Fourth 
 Memorandum  Opinion  and  Order  in  AAD  File  No.  98-  43,  14  FCC  Rcd  11396,  11402-  03  (1999)  (Accounting 
 Reductions  Report  and  Order). 


 2  ARMIS  is  an  automated  reporting  system  developed  by  the  Commission  for  collecting  financial, 
 operating,  service  quality,  and  network  infrastructure  information  from  certain  incumbent  LECs.  See  Automated 
 Reporting  Requirements  for  Certain  Class  A  and  Tier  1  Telephone  Companies  (Parts  31,  43,  67,  and  69  of  the 
 Commission’s  Rules),  CC  Docket  No.  86-  182,  Order,  2  FCC  Rcd  5770  (1987),  modified  on  recon.,  Order  on 
 Reconsideration,  3  FCC  Rcd  6375  (1988).  Several  of  the  ARMIS  reports  must  be  filed  by  incumbent  LECs  with 
 annual  revenues  exceeding  the  indexed  threshold.  See  “Annual  Adjustment  of  Revenue  Threshold,”  Public 
 Notice,  DA  00-  971  (rel.  May  3,  2000)  (adjusting  annual  indexed  threshold  to  $114  million). 


 3  We  are  in  the  process  of  reviewing  Century’s  CAM.  As  a  result,  Century’s  request  for  an  extension  of 


 time  to  file  CAM  revisions  will  be  addressed  in  a  separate  order  or  letter. 
 4  See  Joint  Request  of  CenturyTel,  Inc.  and  CenturyTel  of  Washington,  Inc.  for  an  Extension  of  Time  to 


 File  ARMIS  Reports,  File  Cost  Allocation  Manual  (CAM)  Revisions,  and  Obtain  a  CAM  Audit,  filed  December 
 5,  2000  (“  Century  Letter”). 
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 Federal  Communications  Commission  DA  00-[  Click  to  enter  order  number] 
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 be  able  to  complete  the  reports  prior  to  April  of  2001.  5  Century  explains  that  additional  specialized 
 software  must  be  installed  and  personnel  trained  in  order  to  collect  the  data  and  populate  the  reports.  6 
 Century  also  claims  that  it  would  incur  substantially  lower  costs  to  comply  with  the  Commission’s 
 accounting  and  reporting  requirements  if  the  Commission  adopts  some  or  all  of  the  proposals  in  the  Notice 
 of  Proposed  Rulemaking  in  CC  Docket  No.  00-  199.  7  Century  argues  that  the  Commission  should  grant  it 
 an  extension  of  time  until  six  months  after  the  Commission  releases  a  Report  and  Order  in  CC  Docket  No. 
 00-  199  resolving  the  accounting  and  reporting  requirements  raised  in  that  proceeding.  8 


 3.  We  have  reviewed  Century’s  request  for  an  extension  of  time  to  file  its  initial  ARMIS  reports 
 and  obtain  a  CAM  audit.  We  do  not  routinely  grant  extensions  of  time;  however,  we  find  merit  in 
 Century’s  argument  that  additional  time  is  required  to  purchase  software  and  hire  personnel  to  prepare  the 
 initial  ARMIS  Reports.  Based  on  Century’s  arguments  that  additional  time  is  needed  to  prepare  the 
 ARMIS  Reports,  we  conclude  that  an  extension  of  six  months,  until  October  1,  2001,  is  sufficient.  The 
 attestation  engagement  cannot,  under  our  current  guidelines,  take  place  until  the  ARMIS  Reports  are 
 prepared;  9  therefore,  we  are  also  granting  an  extension  of  time,  until  January  15,  2002,  for  filing  the 
 attestation  report. 


 4.  Accordingly,  IT  IS  ORDERED,  pursuant  to  sections  0.91,  0.291,  and  1.46  of  the 
 Commission’s  rules,  47  C.  F.  R.  §§  0.91,  0.291,  and  1.46,  that  the  CenturyTel,  Inc.  and  CenturyTel  of 
 Washington,  Inc.  request  for  an  extension  of  time  to  file  its  initial  ARMIS  reports  and  file  a  CAM 
 attestation  report  is  GRANTED,  as  described  above. 


 FEDERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  COMMISSION 


 Kenneth  P.  Moran 
 Chief,  Accounting  Safeguards  Division 


 5  Century  Letter  at  2. 
 6  Id. 
 7  Id.  at  3. 
 8  Id. 
 9  See  Responsible  Accounting  Officer  Letter  No.  29,  “CAM  Attest  Requirements  for  Mid-  Sized 
 Incumbent  Local  Exchange  Carriers”  (rel.  Feb.  14,  2000). 
2