§  52.16   Billing and Collection Agent.

   The B&C Agent shall:

   (a) Calculate, assess, bill and collect payments for all numbering
   administration functions and distribute funds to the NANPA, or other
   agent designated by the Common Carrier Bureau that performs functions
   related to numbering administration, on a monthly basis;

   (b) Distribute to carriers the "Telecommunications Reporting
   Worksheet," described in § 52.17(b).

   (c) Keep confidential all data obtained from carriers and not disclose
   such data in company-specific form unless authorized by the Commission.
   Subject to any restrictions imposed by the Chief of the Wireline
   Competition Bureau, the B & C Agent may share data obtained from
   carriers with the administrators of the universal service support
   mechanism (See 47 CFR 54.701 of this chapter), the TRS Fund (See 47 CFR
   64.604(c)(4)(iii)(H) of this chapter), and the local number portability
   cost recovery (See 47 CFR 52.32). The B & C Agent shall keep
   confidential all data obtained from other administrators. The B & C
   Agent shall use such data, from carriers or administrators, only for
   calculating, collecting and verifying payments. The Commission shall
   have access to all data reported to the Administrator. Contributors may
   make requests for Commission nondisclosure of company-specific revenue
   information under § 0.459 of this chapter by so indicating on the
   Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet at the time that the subject
   data are submitted. The Commission shall make all decisions regarding
   nondisclosure of company-specific information.

   (d) Develop procedures to monitor industry compliance with reporting
   requirements and propose specific procedures to address reporting
   failures and late payments;

   (e) File annual reports with the appropriate regulatory authorities of
   the NANP member countries as requested; and

   (f) Obtain an audit from an independent auditor after the first year of
   operations and annually thereafter, which shall evaluate the validity
   of calculated payments. The B&C Agent shall submit the audit report to
   the Commission for appropriate review and action.

   (g) For the purposes of this rule, the term "carrier(s)" shall include
   interconnected VoIP providers as that term is defined in § 52.21(h).

   [ 62 FR 55183 , Oct. 23, 1997, as amended at  64 FR 41330 , July 30, 1999;
    66 FR 9532 , Feb. 8, 2001;  67 FR 13226 , Mar. 21, 2002;  73 FR 9481 , Feb.
   21, 2008]