Wholesale: Products & Services

Commercial Line Sharing - V20.0

NOTE: The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") released the Triennial Review Order, 18 FCC Rcd 16978 in 2003, and altered CenturyLink's obligations to provide certain unbundled network elements. As such, these services will no longer be available after the following transition periods, consistent with the terms of the FCC Orders: 1) Loop Splitting - new orders not available after 2004; 2) Line Splitting - new orders not available after 2004; 3) Line Sharing - new orders not available after 2004.

Product Description

Commercial Line Sharing replaces the Interconnection Line Sharing/Shared Loop product which is no longer available for new service requests after October 2, 2004 pursuant to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) Triennial Review Order.

Commercial Line Sharing provides you with the opportunity to offer end-users advanced data services over a copper loop that provides the end-user's analog voice-grade service (also known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)). This is done by using the frequency range above the voice band of the copper loop where CenturyLink provides voice service to the end-user. This frequency range is referred to as the High Frequency Spectrum Unbundled Network Element (HUNE).

Before ordering Commercial Line Sharing, you must have a splitter installed. The splitter can be located in your collocation space in the CenturyLink Wire Center or in the Common Area Splitter Collocation in the CenturyLink Wire Center that serves the end-user. The splitter separates the voice and data traffic and allows the copper loop to be used for simultaneous Data Local Exchange Carrier (DLEC) data transmission while CenturyLink provides the voice service to the end-user.

Additional information describing the splitter configurations is available see Collocation.

Line Sharing cannot be requested on a resold CenturyLink service. CenturyLink retail must provide the POTS service to the end-user. The end-user must have dial tone originating from a CenturyLink switch in the Wire Center. You must provide the end-user with all equipment required for them to receive separate voice and data service across the copper loop.

Other alternatives for providing data services:

• Line Splitting is available with compatible commercial local exchange services products (e.g. CenturyLink Local Service Platform™ (CLSP™)). 
• CenturyLink Commercial Broadband Services are available with compatible Resale and commercial local exchange services. 
• If you have Unbundled Local Loop, you have the following options:
  • Loop Splitting provides combined voice and data services on the same facility; see Loop Splitting
  • Stand-alone Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) data services.

Product Diagram

Availability

Commercial Line Sharing is available where facilities exist throughout CenturyLink QC. Commercial Line Sharing is not available on Fiber To The Building (FTTB) or Fiber To The Premise (FTTP) facilities.

Terms and Conditions

Commercial Line Sharing is provided where existing compatible facilities are available and/or you have authorized conditioning. You are responsible for determining whether the physical characteristics of the facility are compatible with your data service. Technical Publication, Interconnection - Shared Loop, 77406 informs you which facilities are compatible with Commercial Line Sharing.

All splitter collocation installations must be completed prior to submitting Commercial Line Sharing requests.

CLEC may convert from any existing (Grandparented) Line Sharing arrangements under its Interconnection Agreement or any amendment to Commercial Line Sharing during the term of the Amendment, to a Commercial Line Sharing Service. Such conversions shall not be included as new incremental growth for purposes of determining pricing of Commercial Line Sharing. A separate, cost-based conversion charge will apply. For Commercial Line Sharing, there may only be one DLEC at any given time that provides advanced data service on any given POTS line.

Technical Publications

Technical characteristics, including Network Channel/Network Channel Interface (NC/NCI™) codes are described in Technical Publication, Interconnection - Shared Loop, 77406.

Pricing

Rate Structure

Recurring charges for Commercial Line Sharing may consist of the following:

• Operational Support Systems (OSS) (included in the Commercial Line Sharing charge)
• The Commercial Line Sharing Loop
• Two Interconnection Tie Pairs (2 ITPs), 1 for voice and 1 for combined voice/data, per connection

Nonrecurring charges for Commercial Line Sharing may consist of the following:

• Installation charge, per loop
• Conditioning (this element is included unless conditioning exceeds 5% of monthly lines Cap. In that case, the Conditioning charge will appear separately for every line conditioned over the 5%.)
• Conversion Charge (when applicable)

Additional rate element information is located in Exhibit A of your Commercial Line Sharing agreement. Recurring charges bill on a month-to-month basis; term contracts are not available.

Rates

Wholesale rates for this product or service, including tariff references and any applicable discounts, are provided in your current Interconnection, Resale, Commercial, or other governing agreement.

CenturyLink must provide the end-user's POTS service. If the end-user disconnects their POTS service with CenturyLink, the data portion of the loop will also be disconnected. This information will be reflected in the Loss and Completion Report. Information regarding Loss and Completion Reports is described in the Provisioning and Installation Overview.

All splitter collocation installations must be completed before Commercial Line Sharing requests can be processed.

CenturyLink will install and maintain the splitter if it is installed using Common Area Splitter Collocation. You have the option to either purchase splitters and provide them to CenturyLink, or have CenturyLink purchase them on your behalf, subject to full reimbursement of costs incurred. Directory Listings are not part of the Commercial Line Sharing product offering.

Optional Features

There are no optional features available with Commercial Line Sharing.

Features/Benefits

Features	Benefits
Provides data and voice on the same copper loop.	Enables you to offer data services quickly and affordably, without the cost of separate unbundled loops or new facilities. Enables end-users to receive data over the high frequency portion of their line and eliminates the need to invest in an additional line.
Provides access to facilities throughout CenturyLink QC.	Provides service in rapidly growing areas, including those where there may be a shortage of facilities.

Applications

Commercial Line Sharing enables you to provide data service on an end-user's analog voice-grade service without having to purchase the entire Unbundled Local Loop. Commercial Line Sharing also enables you to provide data service to end-users that do not have spare facilities at their location or who do not desire to purchase an additional line.

Implementation

Product Prerequisites

If you are a new CLEC and are ready to do business with CenturyLink, view Getting Started as a Facility-Based CLEC. If you are an existing CLEC wishing to amend your Interconnection Agreement or New Customer Questionnaire, additional information is located in the Interconnection Agreement.

Pre-Ordering

General pre-ordering activities are described in the Pre-Ordering Overview.

Requirements for pre-ordering are described in Local Service ordering Guidelines (LSOG), Pre-Order.

CenturyLink recommends use of Pre-Ordering functionality to assist in achieving increased service request flow through and accuracy that will result in reduced service request rejects.

Loop qualification query should be used prior to submitting a service request. Use of these queries can greatly reduce service request rejects by ensuring the types of facilities requested are available prior to placing a service request. The queries will enable you to verify the type of facility and the physical characteristics of the facility. Based on the physical characteristics you can determine if the facility needs to be conditioned, i.e., the removal of load coils or bridged tap, which will assist you in identifying the appropriate ordering intervals, described in the Service Interval Guide (SIG).

Some of these queries are available in EASE-LSR and others are web-based. The queries are available for you to access the physical characteristics of the CenturyLink loop facility and are based on data obtained from CenturyLink's underlying network records. CenturyLink utilizes this same underlying data for its retail product offerings.

The following applies to the loop qualification queries:

• The queries are for informational purposes only and do not restrict or imply that your service will or will not work on a given facility. This determination is your responsibility.
• Some of the queries offered include CenturyLink's evaluation of the recorded and calculated loop characteristic information
• As mentioned, the physical characteristics provided are based on CenturyLink's plant facility database. If you encounter any inaccuracies in the information, contact your CenturyLink Service Manager.
• The data provided to you at the time you perform a query is refreshed on a periodic basis and could change by the time you submit your service request.

Some of these queries are available in EASE-LSR and others are web-based.

EASE-LSR queries are:

• Loop Qualification
• Raw Loop Data (RDL)

Web based queries are:

• Wire Center RLD

The Wire Center RLD provides wire center specific information. This query provides the physical characteristics of the facilities for an entire wire center. The wire center raw loop data is presented as a comma delimited file and needs to be downloaded into a database or spreadsheet to analyze the individual facilities. Contact your CenturyLink Service Manager to request an ID, which will be required to obtain the digital certificate, required to access this query. You will need to provide the names and telephone numbers of your employees that will be accessing the query. After your CenturyLink Service Manager has notified you that the necessary access permissions have been established, and provided you with your ID you may then initiate the digital certification process.

Loop Qualification query can be accessed via EASE-LSR to pre-qualify the requested facility, inquiring against the existing telephone number or service address. This query provides some basic physical characteristics of the facility and provides you information, which allows you to determine if the facility qualifies for Commercial Line Sharing. If the end user customer's telephone number is a Port-Within telephone number also known as a Location Ported telephone number, you must use the service address to perform a loop qualification.

Information about the EASE-LSR based loop qualification queries are available in the Pre-Ordering Overview or the EASE-LSR User's Guide. The EASE-LSR Loop Qualification and Raw Loop Data-CLEC Job Aid is a web-based training course designed to provide valuable information and instructions on how to use and interpret EASE-LSR-based loop qualification queries and the raw loop data queries.

During Pre-Order Loop Qualification, when using the Unbundled Loop option, EASE-LSR will return a standard copper retirement message that will include the cross box impacted, if applicable. Refer to the EASE-LSR User's Guide and/or the EASE-LSR Loop Qualification and Raw Loop Data-CLEC Job Aid.

Ordering

General ordering activities are described in the Ordering Overview.

Synchronization Testing (Implementation, Product Prerequisites, Supporting documentation) is an option associated with your collocation space and Commercial Line Sharing service requests. For more information refer to Synchronization Testing .

When Synchronization Testing is performed, the CLEC will be notified that there is a problem in their equipment and if the test fails. The service request will be placed in a jeopardy status. For more information on Jeopardy Status refer to Provisioning and Installation Overview.

Service interval guidelines are found in the SIG.

Commercial Line Sharing service requests are submitted using the LSOG forms:

• Local Service Request (LSR)
• End User (EU)
• Loop Service (LS)

Field requirements are described in the LSOG.

Service requests should be placed using EASE-LSR Extensible Markup Language (XML) or EASE-LSR Graphical User Interface (GUI).

You may choose to convert from any existing (Grandparented) Line Sharing arrangement to Commercial Line Sharing by submitting a service request for that service and placing the following note in the RMKR section: "Convert this line sharing arrangement from Grandparented to Commercial status". CenturyLink will then change the USOC on the line and all commercial rates, terms and conditions will apply to that line. Prior to requesting a conversion, your Interconnection Agreement must contain terms for Commercial Line Sharing.

Use of Universal Service Order Codes (USOCs) and Field Identifiers (FIDs) are described in the USOCs and FIDs Overview. Use of the USOC/FID Finder will assist you in identifying USOC and FID requirements.

The EASE-LSR User's Guide specifically details the information applicable to ordering functions.

Valid NC/NCI™ codes are required on all Commercial Line Sharing requests. NC/NCI™ codes are located in Technical Publication, Interconnection - Shared Loop, 77406.

The Basic Installation Option is available for Commercial Line Sharing. The Basic Installation Option is defined in the Unbundled Local Loop PCAT.

The limitations when requesting multiple lines for Commercial Line Sharing on a single service request are as follows:

• CenturyLink will accept multiple Commercial Line Sharing requests on a single service request if the telephone numbers are associated with the same CSR. When you submit a service request requesting Commercial Line Sharing for multiple telephone numbers from the same CSR, the quantity on the LQTY field on the LS form of the service request must be equal to the number of lines to which Commercial Line Sharing is being added.
• Quantities equal to or greater than 25 are considered a project. See Projects for more information.

Valid LSR ACT type is a 'C' for Change (existing POTS account); the valid REQTYP on the LSR is 'AB'.

Valid LNA field types on the LS are:

• D = Disconnect Commercial Line Sharing
• M = Move termination within CO
• N = New Commercial Line Sharing
• V = Conversion from DLEC to DLEC
• T = Transfer

Some of the more common information required on the LSR include:

• Valid NC and NCI Code
• Desired Due Date
• Contact Information

Some of the more common information required on the LS include:

• End-user telephone number to be shared
• Splitter location (inside or outside of the cage)
• Splitter information - If the end-user has a Port Within telephone number, use the SWC Splitter.

An Alternate Point of Termination (APOT) form is provided for you as part of the collocation hand-off process. The splitter meet points for the Commercial Line Sharing is identified on the APOT form. Information contained on the APOT form is required on all Commercial Line Sharing requests. The following table provides an example of Common Area Splitter Collocation format used to identify the splitter location.

Character Field Location	Field Entry *
Characters 1 through 3	vda
Characters 4 through 10	Floor and Aisle
Characters 11 through 12	Bay
Characters 13 through 14	Shelf
Characters 15 through 18	Unit

* vda.0010121.02.01-001 is an example of the Common Area Splitter Collocation format

The following table provides an example of format used to identify the splitter location when the splitter is located inside your collocation.

Character Field Location	Field Entry *
Characters 1 through 3	vda
Characters 4 through 8	Cable Pair
Characters 9 through 11	Voice Pair

* vda.ALT06.201 is an example of Inside the Collocation Area format

You may request, and CenturyLink shall provide, required conditioning on up to 5% of the Commercial Line Sharing arrangements ordered by CLEC in a calendar year. Conditioning shall mean the removal of load coils and interfering bridged taps, but shall not include any line moves or special construction. UDC removal and line moves may be provided by CenturyLink on Commercial Line Sharing arrangements in accordance with CenturyLink's facility provisioning and routine network modification processes; notwithstanding the foregoing, CenturyLink may modify or discontinue such processes pursuant to Applicable Law. Any conditioning above the 5% cap shall be subject to the charges for loop conditioning in Exhibit A of your Commercial Line Sharing agreement.

If you request conditioning and the conditioning significantly degrades the voice services on the loop to the point where it is unacceptable to the end-user, charges will be assessed to recondition the loop. You may request loop conditioning by entering a 'Y' in the SCA field of the LSR form. The following applies when loop conditioning is requested on the service request. Whether or not conditioning is required per the systems:

• Upon receipt of an accurate and complete service request, you will receive a Firm Order Confirmation (FOC) based on the standard interval found in the SIG. Separate intervals apply based on whether or not conditioning is required.

The following applies when loop conditioning is not requested on the service request: If conditioning is not required per the systems (qualification passed):

Upon receipt of an accurate and complete service request, CenturyLink will perform an initial evaluation to determine if the loop will support Commercial Line Sharing. If the initial evaluation reflects that loop conditioning is not required to support Commercial Line Sharing, you will receive a FOC based on the standard interval.

If at any time, after you receive the FOC and prior to the scheduled due date, CenturyLink determines the qualification was a false positive (when loop qualification is successful but Commercial Line Sharing cannot be provisioned on the line without conditioning). CenturyLink will make every attempt to provision the Commercial Line Sharing request, including Line Conditioning, within the original scheduled DD without requiring a supplemental service request. In the event that the conditioning work cannot be completed within the original scheduled DD the CLEC will receive a jeopardy and will be required to submit a Sup with a Y in the SCA field authorizing the standard line conditioning interval.

If conditioning is required per the systems (qualification failed):

• If it is determined by the initial CenturyLink evaluation that the loop cannot support Commercial Line Sharing without performing conditioning, and no authorization has been given, the service request will be rejected and you will be required to resubmit the service request authorizing conditioning on the loop.

Standard intervals are available in the SIG or Exhibit C of your Commercial Line Sharing agreement.

Projects

Quantities equal to or greater than 25 are considered a project. If you relate Purchase Order Numbers (PONs) and associate service requests to a Project Identification Code in the PROJECT field on the LSR form, or if the LQTY field on the LS form has 25 or more loops, the request will be handled as a project by the Center responsible for handling your account. When you submit a LSR requesting Commercial Line Sharing for multiple telephone numbers from the same CSR, the quantity on the LQTY field must be equal to the number of lines to which Commercial Line Sharing is being added. The installation guidelines for the project are negotiated on an Individual Case Basis (ICB) based on the request. The main point of contact for your project will be your CenturyLink Service Manager.

Provisioning and Installation

General provisioning and installation activities are described in the Provisioning and Installation Overview.

FOC intervals are available in the SIG. Jeopardy occurs on a service request if a condition exists that threatens timely completion jeopardy notification information is described in the Provisioning and Installation Overview.

In the event that CenturyLink determines that the data portion (DSL) of the request cannot be provisioned with the voice after an FOC has been issued, CenturyLink will send a jeopardy notice to the CLEC. The CLEC will have 4 business hours to respond. The LSR will follow the jeopardy process as outlined in the Provisioning and Installation Overview.

Provisioning and design requirement information is described in the Interconnection-Shared Loop Technical Publication 77406.

For Commercial Line Sharing, the Migration activities will not exceed forty five (45) minutes. For more information on migrations and conversion, see the Migrations and Conversions Procedural PCAT.

Loss and Completion Reports are based on loss and gain account activity. Information regarding Completion notification, including Loss and Completion Reports, is described in the Provisioning and Installation Overview.

As part of the standard provisioning process for Commercial Line Sharing, CenturyLink will perform an electrical continuity test on the data side of the splitter.

Maintenance and Repair

General maintenance and repair activities are described in the Maintenance and Repair Overview.

CenturyLink is responsible for repairing voice services provided over Commercial Line Sharing and for repairing the physical line between the demarcation point at the end-user premises and the demarcation point in the CenturyLink SWC. You are responsible for repairing data services provided on Commercial Line Sharing. Each provider is responsible for maintaining their own equipment; the party in control of the splitter is responsible for its maintenance.

CenturyLink will perform Synchronization Testing on Commercial Line Sharing repair reports upon CLEC request in the CO's where CenturyLink Commercial Broadband Services service is provided. When the CLEC issues a repair report, the CLEC will need to provide CenturyLink with the appropriate protocol, for additional information see Customer Electronic Maintenance & Repair-Maintenance Ticketing Gateway (CEMR-MTG) On-Line Help to test (i.e., DMT-TI.413, DMT-G.LITE, DMT-G.DMT, or CAP), as well as the setting for Rate Limiting and Auto Sync (On or Off). Refer to the CEMR-MTG User Guide Section 10.7.8 for information regarding requesting a synchronization test.

In CO's where CenturyLink Commercial Broadband Services is not provided, CenturyLink will test for electrical continuity on Commercial Line Sharing in response to trouble tickets initiated by you. If the trouble is not in CenturyLink's network, a Trouble Isolation Charge will be assessed. If the testing equipment has been installed at the SWC, CenturyLink will perform an electrical continuity test on the data side of the splitter upon your request. You may also request that CenturyLink perform additional testing. If the testing uncovers a problem in the portion of the network that CenturyLink is responsible for, you will not be charged for the testing. However, if the additional testing uncovers a problem in the portion of the network you are responsible for, an Additional Testing Charge will be assessed. Rates are specified in the Exhibit A of your Commercial Line Sharing agreement.

Billing

Recurring and nonrecurring charges for the Commercial Line Sharing Loop, OSS, Basic Installation, Interconnection Tie Pair (ITP), Trouble Isolation, and Additional Testing are billed by Ensemble.

Ensemble is the new billing system for customers. For questions about the bill, please follow the instructions on the reverse side of each billing statement.

The Ensemble bill is described in Billing Information – Ensemble.

Nonrecurring charges for Splitter Shelves, Splitter TIE Cable Connections, Engineering, and Reclassification are billed by the Billing and Receivable Tracking (BART) System. BART billing is described in Billing Information - Billing and Receivable Tracking (BART).

Recurring charges for Splitter Shelves and Splitter TIE Cable Connections are billed by Carrier Access Billing System (CABS). CABS billing is described in Billing Information – Carrier Access Billing System (CABS).

Training

Local CenturyLink 101 "Doing Business With CenturyLink"

• This introductory web-based training course is designed to teach the Local CLEC and Local Reseller how to do business with CenturyLink. It will provide a general overview of products and services, CenturyLink billing and support systems, processes for submitting service requests, reports, and web resource access information. Click here to learn more about this Training.

Unbundled Loop (UBL)

• This instructor-led process and systems training course is designed to introduce and teach the Unbundled Loop (UBL) products, instructing CLECs on how to request service for Unbundled Loops. This course will provide an overview of the current UBL products, and address the PreOrder, Order, Post-Order, Provisioning, Billing and CEMR-MTG. to learn more about this Training..

View additional CenturyLink courses in the Training Catalog.

Contacts

General contact information is located in the Wholesale Customer Contacts web page.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do the ordering and provisioning processes utilized for Line Sharing/Shared Loop remain the same for Commercial Line Sharing?
The term Commercial is how the service is being offered. Through a change in law by the FCC, CenturyLink is no longer required to offer the Line Sharing Product as an Unbundled Network Element. Instead CenturyLink has offered this product under a Commercial Agreement. The processes associated for requesting, provisioning, and repairing the Commercial Line Sharing service will be similar to the previously offered Line Sharing/Shared Loop service.

2. Can I request Commercial Line Sharing before installing our splitters?
No. All splitter collocation installations must be completed before Commercial Line Sharing can be ordered.

3. Who is responsible for repair?
CenturyLink is responsible for repairing voice services provided over Commercial Line Sharing, as well as for the physical line between the demarcation point at the end-user premises and the demarcation point in the CenturyLink SWC. You are responsible for repairing data services provided on Commercial Line Sharing. We are each responsible for maintaining our own equipment, except that the party in control of the splitter is responsible for its maintenance.

Last Update: October 27, 2023

Last Reviewed: March 15, 2024

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