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TAP Reporting Forms

Purpose of the TAP Reporting Form

The purpose of the TAP reporting form is for the Commission to track all revenues and expenses of the Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP). Since TAP is funded by a surcharge on telephone lines, all local service providers in Minnesota must file a TAP reporting form, to help the Commission ensure that all carriers are paying into the fund as they should be.

What is the Telephone Assistance Plan?

Minnesota's TAP provides a discount in the form of monthly credits on low income customers' telephone bills. The eligibility requirements are the same as the federal Lifeline program. Minnesota Rule part 7817.0900 requires a local service provider to maintain adequate records of surcharge revenues, expenses, and credits related to the program, and to report that information on the prescribed TAP form.

Who Must File a TAP Reporting Form?

Any carrier with a certificate for local service, including carriers with no TAP customers or no local lines in Minnesota, must file a TAP reporting form. These forms enable the Commission to track which carriers are paying into the fund, and if carriers are not, why not. If you are a carrier with a certificate for local service in Minnesota, but no local lines in Minnesota, the Commission recommends you fill out one annual report. This annual report is due within 30 calendar days after the calendar year ends; for 2010, fill out the 2010 TAP report as an annual report, and submit it in Docket No. 10-1 between January 1, 2011 and Jan 31, 2011.

REVISED TAP FORM FOR 2010

The Commission has revised its Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) reporting form for CY2010, which is available below as an Excel file. This is the form carriers will use for calendar year 2010 data beginning on May 20, 2010.

A summary of the major changes that have been made to the revised 2010 TAP form:

  • The year, 2010, was added to the heading of the form. This eliminates the need to enter the year of the reporting period in the old number 2 of the form.
  • Under Company Information in #1 of the form, we have made it easier for you to ensure that you are entering the correct U number on your form, which is required of all carriers filling out TAP forms.
  • We have added links to make it easier for you to find your U number, referenced Order, rules and similar documents.
  • We clarified the accompanying instructions. Language has been changed to make it clearer how to fill out the form and where to obtain the data to complete the form.

Please note that as with the earlier version 2010 TAP form, the new form retains the following:

  • Carriers with zero lines in Minnesota now check a box in Section 4 to indicate they have no lines.
  • ETCs and ILECs: Section 9 has been streamlined and now only requests two pieces of information: in 9a, the total amount of Lifeline reimbursement requested by the ETC for that reporting period, and in 9b, the dollar amount of Lifeline credit provided to an individual subscriber. (Carriers no longer need to provide the total amount of Lifeline reimbursement received, nor will carriers need to provide the number of TAP customers receiving Lifeline credits.)
  • We have also made minor wording changes to the first page of the form based upon feedback from carriers. For example, in Section 4c, we have changed the term “Department of Public Safety,” the agency that administers the 911 Program, to the “911 Program,” which is the name of the program that is more familiar to carriers.

Please review the new form; if you have questions on changes that have been made, contact Ganesh Krishnan at ganesh.krishnan@state.mn.us or 651-201-2215.

General Filing Instructions

The TAP report enables reimbursement of credits and administrative expenses filed during the reporting period.

There may be TAP reporting forms for more than one year. The correct report form to use is the one for the reporting period in which the credits were applied,  not the month in which the report is submitted.

The form includes an instructions tab; please review these instructions and contact the Commission if you have any questions. Companies that do not fill out the report form accurately or completely will be asked to correct and resubmit it.

The TAP reporting form is due no later than 30 calendar days after the end of the reporting period. A local service provider shall eFile at its option either quarterly or monthly reports.  A local service provider with 100 or fewer subscribers may file an annual report rather than filing quarterly or monthly reports. The report also requests that the company attach the fee submission form submitted to the Department of Public Safety's Minnesota 911 Program to remit collections for 911, TAM (Tele-Relay) and TAP surcharges. The form is to be submitted using eDockets & eFiling.