Reducing Barriers to Network Improvements and Service Changes, Accelerating Network Modernization; Correction

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) withdraws all amendatory instructions inadvertently included in the notification published on October 1, 2026, announcing the effective dates of amendments to the Federal Communications Commission's network change disclosure and discontinuance rules adopted in a Report and Order (FCC 26-19) that published on April 20, 2026. In this document, the Bureau also announces the effective date for amendments published on April 20, 2026.

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 210 (Monday, November 2, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 210 (Monday, November 2, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 68890-68892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22334]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 51 and 63

[WC Docket Nos. 25-208, 25-209; FCC 26-19; FR ID 370342; FR ID 374754]


Reducing Barriers to Network Improvements and Service Changes, 
Accelerating Network Modernization; Correction

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; correction; announcement of effective date.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In this document, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) 
withdraws all amendatory instructions inadvertently included in the 
notification published on October 1, 2026, announcing the effective 
dates of amendments to the Federal Communications Commission's network 
change disclosure and discontinuance rules adopted in a Report and 
Order (FCC 26-19) that published on April 20, 2026. In this document, 
the Bureau also announces the effective date for amendments published 
on April 20, 2026.

DATES: Amendatory instruction 7 (Sec.  63.62), published at 91 FR 
20913, April 20, 2026, is effective on November 2, 2026, and applicable 
as of October 15, 2026. The corrections in this document are effective 
on November 2, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Berlove, Assistant Division 
Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-0357, or by email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#da97b3b9b2bfb6bff498bfa8b6b5acbf9abcb9b9f4bdb5ac"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="baf7d3d9d2dfd6df94f8dfc8d6d5ccdffadcd9d994ddd5cc">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. For additional information concerning the 
Paperwork Reduction Act information collection requirements, contact 
Nicole Ongele at (202) 418-2991 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#046a6d676b68612a6b6a63616861446267672a636b72"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="96f8fff5f9faf3b8f9f8f1f3faf3d6f0f5f5b8f1f9e0">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 26, 2026, the Commission adopted a 
Report and Order, FCC 26-19, published at 91 FR 20913, April 20, 2026. 
In the Report and Order, the Commission adopted rules to reduce 
regulatory barriers and costs that hinder the transition from outdated 
legacy networks and services to next-generation, internet Protocol 
(IP)-based infrastructure. The Commission stated that these rule 
changes may contain new or modified information collection requirements 
and would not become effective until OMB completes its review of any 
information collection requirements that the Bureau determined is 
required under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Commission also 
directed the Bureau to announce the effective date for the revisions to 
Sec. Sec.  51.329, 51.333, 63.60, 63.62, 63.63, 63.71, and 63.602 by 
subsequent public notice.
    On September 21, 2026, OMB approved the information collection 
requirements related to the discontinuance rules contained in the 
Report and Order. The OMB Control Number is 3060-0149. The Bureau 
publishes this document as an announcement of the effective date of 
Sec.  63.62 of the service discontinuance rules adopted in the Report 
and Order. If you have any comments on the burden estimates listed 
below, or how the Commission can improve the collections and reduce any 
burdens caused thereby, please contact Nicole Ongele, Federal 
Communications Commission, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Please 
include the OMB Control Numbers 3060-0741 and 3060-0149 in your 
correspondence. The Commission also will accept your comments via email 
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c7c7e6d6c4a4f4f024b435a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1e4e4c5f5e787d7d30797168">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. To request materials in accessible formats for people 
with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio 
format), send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d5b3b6b6e0e5e195b3b6b6fbb2baa3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fc9a9f9fc9ccc8bc9a9f9fd29b938a">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or call the Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice).
    On October 1, 2026, the Bureau published a document in the Federal 
Register (FR Doc. 2026-20192) announcing the effective dates of 
amendments to its network change disclosure and discontinuance rules. 
That document inadvertently included amendatory instructions. This 
document withdraws all such amendatory instructions included in the 
effective date notice published at 91 FR 62334, October 1, 2026.

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the Bureau is notifying the public that it received final OMB 
approval on September 21, 2026, for the information collection 
requirements contained in the changes to the Commission's service 
discontinuance rules in 47 CFR part 63.
    Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB 
Control Number.
    No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply 
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number.
    The foregoing notification is required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the affected 
respondents are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-0149.
    OMB Approval Date: September 21, 2026.
    OMB Expiration Date: September 30, 2029.
    Title: Part 63, Reducing Barriers to Network Improvements and 
Service Changes, Accelerating Network Modernization, WC Docket Nos. 25-
208, 25-209, FCC 26-19. Form Number: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit.
    Number of Respondents and Responses: 78 respondents; 90 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 6-10 hours per response.
    Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement and third-
party disclosure requirements.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. 
Statutory authority for this collection of information is contained in 
47 U.S.C. 214 and 402 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
    Total Annual Burden: 648 hours.
    Total Annual Cost: No Cost.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission received OMB approval for revisions 
to an existing information collection, OMB Collection 3060-0149. 
Section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, requires 
that a carrier must first obtain FCC authorization either to (1) 
construct, operate, or engage in transmission over a line of 
communications; or (2) discontinue, reduce or impair service over a 
line of communications. Part 63 of title 47 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) implements section 214.
    Part 63 also implements provisions of the Cable Communications 
Policy Act of 1984 pertaining to video which was approved under this 
OMB Control Number 3060-0149. In 2009, the Commission modified part 63 
to extend

[[Page 68891]]

to providers of interconnected Voice over internet Protocol (VoIP) 
service the discontinuance obligations that apply to domestic non-
dominant telecommunications carriers under section 214 of the 
Communications Act of 1934, as amended. In 2014, the Commission adopted 
improved administrative filing procedures for domestic transfers of 
control, domestic discontinuances and notices of network changes, and 
among other adjustments, modified part 63 to require electronic filing 
for applications for authorization to discontinue, reduce, or impair 
service under section 214(a) of the Act. In July 2016, the Commission 
concluded that applicants seeking to discontinue a legacy time division 
multiplexing (TDM)-based voice service as part of a transition to a new 
technology, whether internet Protocol (IP), wireless, or another type 
(technology transition discontinuance application) must demonstrate 
that an adequate replacement for the legacy service exists in order to 
be eligible for streamlined treatment and revised part 63 accordingly. 
The Commission concluded that an applicant for a technology transition 
discontinuance may demonstrate that a service is an adequate 
replacement for a legacy voice service by certifying or showing that 
one or more replacement service(s) offers all of the following: (i) 
Substantially similar levels of network infrastructure and service 
quality as the applicant service; (ii) compliance with existing federal 
and/or industry standards required to ensure that critical applications 
such as 911, network security, and applications for individuals with 
disabilities remain available; and (iii) interoperability and 
compatibility with an enumerated list of applications and 
functionalities determined to be key to consumers and competitors (the 
``adequate replacement test''). In November 2017, the Commission 
further modified the rules applicable to section 214(a) discontinuance 
applications by (1) expediting applications that ``grandfather'' low 
speed legacy services for existing customers; (2) expediting 
applications to discontinue previously grandfathered legacy data 
services; and (3) expediting applications to discontinue legacy voice 
or data services below 1.544 Mbps for which the carrier has had no 
customers and no request for service for at least a 30-day period 
immediately preceding submission of the application. In June 2018, the 
Commission again modified the rules applicable to section 214(a) 
discontinuance applications. First, all carriers, whether dominant or 
non-dominant, that seek approval to grandfather data services below 
speeds of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload speed are subject to 
a uniform reduced public comment period of 10 days and an automatic 
grant period of 25 days. Second, all carriers, whether dominant or 
nondominant, seeking authorization to discontinue data services below 
speeds of 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload speed that have 
previously been grandfathered for a period of at least 180 days are 
subject to a uniform reduced public comment period of 10 days and an 
automatic grant period of 31 days, provided they submit a statement as 
part of their discontinuance application that they have received 
Commission authority to grandfather the services at issue at least 180 
days prior to the filing of the discontinuance application. The 
statement must reference the file number of the prior Commission 
authorization to grandfather the services the carrier then seeks to 
permanently discontinue. Third, carriers are no longer required to file 
an application to discontinue, reduce, or impair any service for which 
it has had no customers and no request for service for at least a 30-
day period immediately preceding the discontinuance. Fourth, all 
carriers, whether dominant or nondominant, that seek approval to 
discontinue legacy voice service can obtain further streamlined 
processing with a public comment period of 15 days and an automatic 
grant period of 31 days, provided (1) they offer a standalone 
interconnected VoIP service throughout the service area, and (2) at 
least one alternative stand-alone, facilities-based voice service is 
available from an unaffiliated provider throughout the affected service 
area (the ``alternative options test''). Finally, all carriers, whether 
dominant or nondominant, that seek approval to grandfather legacy voice 
service are subject to a uniform reduced public comment period of 10 
days and an automatic grant period of 25 days. Certain rules are now 
modified as described below. In March 2026, the Commission further 
modified the rules applicable to section 214(a) discontinuance 
applications by: (1) adopting one consolidated rule applicable to all 
technology transitions discontinuance applications, whereby an 
application to discontinue a currently offered retail voice service as 
part of a technology transition is eligible for streamlined processing 
if the applicant certifies that one or more of five specified 
categories of replacement services is available in every location 
throughout the affected service area; (2) granting blanket section 
214(a) authority for carriers to grandfather legacy voices services, 
lower-speed data telecommunications services (defined as those 
operating at speeds below 25/3 Mbps), and interconnected Voice over 
internet Protocol (VoIP) service provisioned over copper wire, thus 
eliminating the need for carriers to file a section 214(a) application 
when grandfathering these services; (3) adopting requirements providing 
that carriers seeking authority to discontinue a service supporting 
interconnection trunks or the exchange of traffic must specifically 
identify the service to be discontinued, not just the branded name of 
the service being discontinued, and that they must include in such 
discontinuance applications a statement that at least 90 days prior to 
the planned discontinuance filing, the carrier provided a designated 
point of contact with authority to facilitate the orderly transition 
from legacy facilities that support 911 to the 911 Authorities, 911 
service providers, and directly interconnecting local exchange service 
providers that support essential functions within 911 networks, 
including delivering 911 traffic to selective routers for transmission 
to public safety answering points (PSAPs) in the affected service area 
for coordination of the transition to ensure continued 911 
connectivity, and a list of providers that received notice in the 
affected service area with which the carrier has coordinated and the 
date(s) of that coordination; (4) granting conditional forbearance 
relief from section 214(a) discontinuance requirements for resellers 
discontinuing resold services where the reseller's wholesale provider 
is engaging in a technology transitions discontinuance, with the 
condition that the discontinuing resellers provide reasonable notice to 
their customers; (5) applying the 31-day automatic grant period to all 
discontinuance applications; (6) setting forth content requirements for 
discontinuance applications; and (6) providing that a carrier may 
permanently discontinue a service after a showing that it has 
previously obtained emergency discontinuance authority for the service 
in question, that the service is one for which the requesting carrier 
has had no customers or reasonable requests for service during the 60-
day period immediately preceding the permanent discontinuance, and that 
an adequate replacement service is available throughout the affected 
service area. The Commission also eliminated 47

[[Page 68892]]

CFR 63.66, 63.90, 63.100, 63.504, 63.601, and 63.602, and revised 47 
CFR 63.60, 63.62, and 63.63 to account for any references or cross-
references in those sections caused by the elimination of the 
previously enumerated rule provisions.

Corrections

PARTS 51 and 63 [CORRECTED]

0
In FR Doc. 2026-20192, published at 91 FR 62334, October 1, 2026, 
starting on page 62337, in the second column, for parts 51 and 63, 
remove the text following the signature block for Marlene Dortch 
(including the Words of Issuance and amendatory instructions 1 through 
9).

Federal Communications Commission
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-22334 Filed 10-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>