R746-365-6. Joint Planning and Forecasting

A. Planning --A telecommunications corporation will meet with another telecommunications corporation, interconnecting or planning to interconnect within the next calendar quarter, to participate in joint forecasting and planning as necessary to accommodate the design and provisioning responsibilities of both telecommunications corporations. At a minimum, the telecommunications corporations will meet once every calendar quarter.

B. Forecasting --

1. Forecasting is the joint responsibility of the telecommunications corporations. A forecast of interconnecting trunk group and other facilities and equipment required by the telecommunications corporations is required on a quarterly basis. The quarterly forecast shall project requirements for the following time intervals:

a. four months;

b. one year; and

c. three years.

To the extent practical, the one-year and three-year forecasts will be supplemented with historical data from time to time as necessary to improve the accuracy of the forecasts.

2. The forecasts shall include, for tandem-switched traffic, the quantity of the tandem-switched traffic forecasted for each end office.

3. The use of Common Language Location Identifier (CLLI-MSG) shall be incorporated into the forecasts.

4. The forecasts shall include a description of major network projects anticipated for the following year that could affect the other party to the forecast. Major network projects include trunking or network rearrangements, shifts in anticipated traffic patterns, or other activities that are reflected by a significant increase or decrease in trunking demand for the succeeding forecasting period.

5. The forecasts, in narrative form, shall also describe anticipated network capacity limitations, including any trunk groups when usage exceeds 80 percent of the trunk group capacity, and the procedure for eliminating capacity problems before any trunk group experiences blocking in excess of the standards set forth in R746-365-5(B)(2).

6. The forecasts shall include the requirements of the telecommunications corporations for each of the following trunk groups:

a. intraLATA toll and switched access trunks;

b. EAS and local trunks;

c. directory assistance trunks;

d. 911 and E911 trunks;

e. operator service trunks;

f. commercial mobile radio service and wireless traffic; and

g. meet point billing trunks.

7. Unless otherwise agreed, forecasting information exchanged between interconnecting local exchange carriers, or disclosed by one interconnecting local exchange carrier to the other, shall be deemed confidential and proprietary.

C. Procedure for Forecasting --

1. At least 14 days before a scheduled joint planning and forecasting meeting, the telecommunications corporations shall exchange information necessary to prepare the forecast described in R746-365-6(B). At a minimum, the telecommunications corporation will provide the other with the following information.

a. Existing Interconnection Locations -- For existing interconnection locations between the telecommunications corporations, each telecommunications corporation shall provide:

(i) blocking reports, at the individual trunk group level, detailing blocking at each end office, including overflow volumes, and blocking between the telecommunications corporation's end offices and tandem switches;

(ii) the existence of any network switching, capacity or other constraints.

(iii) any network reconfiguration plans for the telecommunications corporation's network.

b. New Markets -- They may request the following information concerning a specific market area in the other's Utah service territory into which they desire to expand their own network:

(i) The network design and office types in the market area.

(ii) The capabilities of the network in the market area.

(iii) Any plans to reconfigure the network in the market area.

c. Future need information -- The telecommunications corporation will provide the other with the following information:

(i) The number of trunk lines requested and the projected century call second loads used to formulate such request.

(ii) Whether internet providers will be served and the projected number of internet provider lines needed.

(iii) The projected busy hour(s) of the trunk groups.

(iv) The expected century call seconds on busy hours - how many century call seconds the last idle trunk line will carry.

(v) The projected service dates for the requested trunking groups for the first quarter forecasted.

(vi) The telecommunications corporation's forecast for direct trunk groups to any particular end office.

(viii) Any ramp up time anticipated for the use of the requested trunk lines, and an estimate of when the trunk group will reach capacity limits.

(x) Whether the telecommunications corporation requests usage and overflow data on the trunk groups which are directly connected to the other's end offices.

2. The telecommunications corporation shall prepare a joint forecast consistent with the requirements of R746-365-6(B) and shall submit the forecast to the other at least seven days before the scheduled joint planning meeting.

3. Prior to the scheduled joint planning meeting, the telecommunications corporation shall notify the other whether it accepts the four-month forecast, rejects the four-month forecast, or proposes specific modifications to the four-month forecast.

a. If the telecommunications corporation rejects the four -month forecast or proposes modifications to the forecast, the telecommunications corporation shall submit a written statement to the other outlining the reasons why the forecast, as prepared by the other, is unacceptable. The statement shall be supported by written documentation to support the telecommunications corporation's position.

b. At the joint planning meeting, the telecommunications corporations may agree on the terms of the four-month forecast, as initially presented, or with modifications agreed to by them. If no agreement is reached, the telecommunications corporations shall jointly outline all areas of disagreement.

4. If the telecommunications corporations cannot agree on the terms of the quarterly four-month forecast, either local exchange carrier may commence an expedited dispute resolution proceeding before the Commission, as provided in Section 54-8b-17. In that proceeding, the burden of persuasion shall be on an ILEC to demonstrate that a four-month quarterly forecast submitted by a CLEC is unreasonable.

5. To the extent the telecommunications corporations agree to the terms of a forecast, the terms shall be deemed approved for purposes of this section, and only those portions of a quarterly forecast actually in dispute shall be subject to the expedited dispute resolution proceeding.

6. If the telecommunications corporations agree on a four-month quarterly forecast, or, to the extent a forecast is approved by the Commission pursuant to the expedited dispute resolution proceeding, a telecommunications corporation shall be obligated to satisfy all service order requests made by the ordering telecommunications corporation that are consistent with the four-month projections contained in the approved forecast. Compliance with the terms of the forecast shall be based on the network provisioning interval standards set forth in R746-365-4(B)(2) as applicable.

D. Capacity Beyond the Four-month Forecast -- If a telecommunications corporation desires to order trunk groups, equipment, or facilities beyond the four-month forecast, but consistent with the one-year and three-year forecast, the telecommunications corporation may order the additional quantity if it pays a capacity reservation charge to the other telecommunications corporation from whom it orders.

E. Trunk Group Underutilization -- If a trunk group is under 60 percent of centum call seconds (ccs) capacity on a monthly average basis for each month of any three-month period, either telecommunications corporation may request to resize the trunk group, which resizing will not be unreasonably withheld. If the resizing occurs, the trunk group shall not be left with less than 25 percent excess capacity. In all cases the network performance levels and the network provisioning intervals as set forth in R746-365-4(A)(2) and R746-365-4(B)(3) shall be maintained. If the telecommunications corporations cannot agree to a resizing, either of them may file a petition with the Commission for an expedited dispute resolution proceeding as provided in Section 54-8b-17.

F. Point of Contact -- Telecommunications corporations shall provide a specified point of contact for planning, forecasting and trunk servicing purposes. The specified point of contact shall have all authority necessary to fulfill the responsibilities as set forth in this section.