Sec. 64.901  Allocation of costs.

    (a) Carriers required to separate their regulated costs from 
nonregulated costs shall use the attributable cost method of cost 
allocation for such purpose.
    (b) In assigning or allocating costs to regulated and nonregulated 
activities, carriers shall follow the principles described herein.
    (1) Tariffed services provided to a nonregulated activity will be 
charged to the nonregulated activity at the tariffed rates and credited 
to the regulated revenue account for that service.
    (2) Costs shall be directly assigned to either regulated or 
nonregulated activities whenever possible.
    (3) Costs which cannot be directly assigned to either regulated or 
nonregulated activities will be described as common costs. Common costs 
shall be

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grouped into homogeneous cost categories designed to facilitate the 
proper allocation of costs between a carrier's regulated and 
nonregulated activities. Each cost category shall be allocated between 
regulated and nonregulated activities in accordance with the following 
hierarchy:
    (i) Whenever possible, common cost categories are to be allocated 
based upon direct analysis of the origin of the cost themselves.
    (ii) When direct analysis is not possible, common cost categories 
shall be allocated based upon an indirect, cost-causative linkage to 
another cost category (or group of cost categories) for which a direct 
assignment or allocation is available.
    (iii) When neither direct nor indirect measures of cost allocation 
can be found, the cost category shall be allocated based upon a general 
allocator computed by using the ratio of all expenses directly assigned 
or attributed to regulated and nonregulated activities.
    (4) The allocation of central office equipment and outside plant 
investment costs between regulated and nonregulated activities shall be 
based upon the relative regulated and nonregulated usage of the 
investment during the calendar year when nonregulated usage is greatest 
in comparison to regulated usage during the three calendar years 
beginning with the calendar year during which the investment usage 
forecast is filed.
    (c) A telecommunications carrier may not use services that are not 
competitive to subsidize services subject to competition. Services 
included in the definition of universal service shall bear no more than 
a reasonable share of the joint and common costs of facilities used to 
provide those services.

[ 52 FR 6560 , Mar. 4, 1987, as amended at  52 FR 39534 , Oct. 22, 1987;  54 FR 49762 , Dec. 1, 1989;  62 FR 45588 , Aug. 28, 1997]