Telecommunications Reporting

Minnesota's Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) program provides a monthly discount to low income residential customers' landline telephone bill. Eligibility requirements are the same as the federal Lifeline program.

Reports Required 

All local telephone service providers with a certificate for local service must file the Commission-prescribed TAP Reporting Form reporting surcharge revenues, expenses, and credits related to the TAP program. Instructions are contained in the reporting form.

• Reports must include a copy of the Minnesota Fee Remittance Form(s) that was submitted to the Department of Public Safety's Minnesota 911 Program remitting collections for 911, TAM and TAP fees.

Purpose of Reports 

TAP reports provide the Commission the ability to track revenues and expenses of the program to ensure that all local telephone service providers are paying into the TAP fund. The TAP report enables reimbursement of credits and administrative expenses. Questions on TAP: Andrew Olson (651) 539-1080

TAP Tools

March 2025 Template Annual Notice to Residential Customers for Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) and Federal Lifeline Program 

January 2025 TAP Notice of Compliance Filing

Find your Company Identification U- Number

Minnesota Rules Chapter 7817, Telephone Assistance Plans 

Minnesota Statute § 237.70, Development of Telephone Assistance Plan

The Federal Lifeline Program

The federal Lifeline program provides a monthly discount to low income residential customers’ landline or wireless telephone bill.

The federal Lifeline program provides a monthly discount on residential phone service for eligible low-income customers. In 2005, Lifeline discounts were made available to qualifying low-income consumers on pre-paid wireless service plans in addition to traditional landline service. The federal Lifeline Program also provides support to telephone companies who offer discounts to eligible low-income customers.

Any Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC), a local service provider designated by the Commission as eligible to receive federal universal service support in accordance with United States Code, title 47, section 254, and relevant federal regulations, must file annual subscriber-based eligibility reports. All ETC's are required to conduct an annual re-certification of their entire subscriber base and submit its annual re-certification report to the Commission, the FCC and USAC by January 31 of each year.

Lifeline questions: Consumer Affairs Office, 651-296-0406, 1-800-657-3782

Lifeline Forms

March 2025 Template Annual Notice to Residential Customers for Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) and Federal Lifeline Program 

FCC Form 481: Carrier Annual Reporting Data Collection 

FCC Form 555 ETC Recertification Form

Lifeline Tools

FCC Lifeline Reform Order 

FCC Rules, 47 C.F.R. §54.410(f) ETC Annual Certification Procedures 

FCC Notice Lifeline Recertification Options: Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) vs. State of MN

USAC Recertification Election Option

PUC Order supporting use of DHS database to verify eligibility 

FCC Rules, 47 C.F.R. §54.405(e)(4) De-enrollment Procedures

All telecommunication providers with full or conditional authority in any given year, are required to electronically file an Annual Report regardless of the revenue amount. Annual Reports must be eFiled by May 1 each year.  File the Annual Report as an Excel document only.   

Semi-Annual Reports Requested from all MN Telecommunications Service Providers

All telecommunications carriers, telephone companies and service resellers must file an application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for a "certificate of authority" to do business in Minnesota, accompanied by a $570 filing fee. All regulated telecommunications service providers pay an annual assessment based on gross state revenues. 

Applications are submitted electronically via eFiling. If you are not registered on eFiling, you must complete the eFiling registration before you can submit an Application for New Authority. There is no need to follow up with a paper copy of your application. 

• Do you need a Certificate of Authority?

• Certificate of Authority Application

• Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) Authority and Reporting

(see Docket No. P999/CI-12-1329)

If your company has a reportable rural telephone call failure complaint, please complete the fillable report templates below, then file your company’s quarterly report as one pdf document using eFiling on the Commission’s home web page. 

Part A- General Information: Please complete for each quarterly report. 

Part B- Incident Report and Root Cause Analysis: Please complete for each reportable complaint.

Minnesota Statute 237.132 requires a wholesale transport provider to register with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. “Wholesale transport provider" means any person, firm, association, or corporation that carries, delivers, routes, or transports any telecommunications service subject to the commission's jurisdiction, directly or indirectly, but is not certified in Minnesota to provide retail telecommunications service to the public. 

A wholesale transport provider is required to register the company name, address, a contact name, and a telephone number available to other carriers that will be answered within normal business hours, by June 20, 2016, or prior to the wholesale transport provider's initial offering of wholesale transport service in Minnesota, whichever is later. Wholesale transport providers shall update their registration information when changes occur, but no less frequently than annually.

Wholesale Transport Provider Registration Form

File your Wholesale Transport Provider Registration Form

View 16-438 Wholesale Transport Provider Registration Case Record

Minnesota Statute 237.132 Registration of Wholesale Transport Providers

• Fees you must collect and remit

• Tariff Filing Checklist

• Common Telecommunications Provider Filings