Missouri USF Assessment

PURPOSE: This rule establishes Missouri USF assessment procedures. (1) The Missouri Universal Service Fund (USF) assessment is applied to the net jurisdictional revenue of all registered Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (IVoIP) providers and certificated telecommunications companies except: pay telephone providers, shared tenant services (STS) providers, and those companies with annual net jurisdictional revenue below a de minimis level as identified on the Missouri USF website. This website also identifies the current Missouri USF assessment factor, payment deadlines, late payment fees, and other details associated with the assessment process. (2) Companies will receive at least sixty (60) days advance notice of a commission approved Missouri USF assessment change. (3) Remittances may be submitted to the Missouri USF administrator using either of the following two (2) methods: (A) A carrier may remit an amount based solely on applying the percentage assessment to the carrier’s Missouri net jurisdictional revenue. If this method is used, no refunds will be given if a carrier subsequently finds it remitted more than collected; or (B) A carrier may remit all funds received as a result of the application of a surcharge through a line item on a retail end-user customers’ bill. This method satisfies the carrier’s annual percentage assessment if— 1. The surcharge equals the percentage assessment ordered by the commission; 2. The surcharge is identified as “Missouri Universal Service Fund”; and 3. The surcharge percentage is applied to each customer’s total charges associated with the carrier’s net jurisdictional revenues. AUTHORITY: sections 392.200, 392.248, and 392.470.1, RSMo 2016.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 240-31.012. Original rule filed April 12, 2018, effective Dec. 30, 2018. Moved to 20 CSR 4240-31.012, effective Aug. 28, 2019. *Original authority: 392.200, RSMo 1939, amended 1987, 1988, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2008; 392.248, RSMo 1996; and 392.470.1, RSMo 1987.