§  51.319   Specific unbundling requirements.

   (a) Local loops. An incumbent LEC shall provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to the local
   loop on an unbundled basis, in accordance with section 251(c)(3) of the
   Act and this part and as set forth in paragraphs (a)(1) through (8) of
   this section. The local loop network element is defined as a
   transmission facility between a distribution frame (or its equivalent)
   in an incumbent LEC central office and the loop demarcation point at an
   end-user customer premises. This element includes all features,
   functions, and capabilities of such transmission facility, including
   the network interface device. It also includes all electronics,
   optronics, and intermediate devices (including repeaters and load
   coils) used to establish the transmission path to the end-user customer
   premises as well as any inside wire owned or controlled by the
   incumbent LEC that is part of that transmission path.

   (1) Copper loops. An incumbent LEC shall provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to the copper
   on an unbundled basis in census blocks defined as rural or urban
   cluster by the Census Bureau. A copper loop is a stand-alone local loop
   comprised entirely of copper wire or cable. For purposes of this
   section, copper loops include only digital copper loops (e.g., DS0s and
   integrated services digital network lines) as well as two-wire and
   four-wire copper loops conditioned to transmit the digital signals
   needed to provide digital subscriber line services, regardless of
   whether the copper loops are in service or held as spares. The copper
   loop does not include packet switching capabilities as defined in
   paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section. The availability of DS1 and DS3
   copper loops is subject to the requirements of paragraphs (a)(4) and
   (5) of this section.

   (i) Line splitting. An incumbent LEC shall provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier that obtains an unbundled copper loop from
   the incumbent LEC with the ability to engage in line splitting
   arrangements with another competitive LEC using a splitter collocated
   at the central office where the loop terminates into a distribution
   frame or its equivalent. Line splitting is the process in which one
   competitive LEC provides narrowband voice service over the low
   frequency portion of a copper loop and a second competitive LEC
   provides digital subscriber line service over the high frequency
   portion of that same loop. The high frequency portion of the loop
   consists of the frequency range on the copper loop above the range that
   carries analog circuit-switched voice transmissions. This portion of
   the loop includes the features, functions, and capabilities of the loop
   that are used to establish a complete transmission path on the high
   frequency range between the incumbent LEC's distribution frame (or its
   equivalent) in its central office and the demarcation point at the
   end-user customer premises, and includes the high frequency portion of
   any inside wire owned or controlled by the incumbent LEC.

   (A) An incumbent LEC's obligation, under paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this
   section, to provide a requesting telecommunications carrier with the
   ability to engage in line splitting applies regardless of whether the
   carrier providing voice service provides its own switching or obtains
   local circuit switching from the incumbent LEC.

   (B) An incumbent LEC must make all necessary network modifications,
   including providing nondiscriminatory access to operations support
   systems necessary for pre-ordering, ordering, provisioning, maintenance
   and repair, and billing for loops used in line splitting arrangements.

   (ii) Line conditioning. The incumbent LEC shall condition a copper loop
   at the request of the carrier seeking access to a copper loop under
   paragraph (a)(1) of this section or a copper subloop under paragraph
   (b) of this section to ensure that the copper loop or copper subloop is
   suitable for providing digital subscriber line services, whether or not
   the incumbent LEC offers advanced services to the end-user customer on
   that copper loop or copper subloop. If the incumbent LEC seeks
   compensation from the requesting telecommunications carrier for line
   conditioning, the requesting telecommunications carrier has the option
   of refusing, in whole or in part, to have the line conditioned; and a
   requesting telecommunications carrier's refusal of some or all aspects
   of line conditioning will not diminish any right it may have, under
   paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, to access the copper loop or
   the copper subloop.

   (A) Line conditioning is defined as the removal from a copper loop or
   copper subloop of any device that could diminish the capability of the
   loop or subloop to deliver high-speed switched wireline
   telecommunications capability, including digital subscriber line
   service. Such devices include, but are not limited to, bridge taps,
   load coils, low pass filters, and range extenders.

   (B) Incumbent LECs shall recover the costs of line conditioning from
   the requesting telecommunications carrier in accordance with the
   Commission's forward-looking pricing principles promulgated pursuant to
   section 252(d)(1) of the Act and in compliance with rules governing
   nonrecurring costs in § 51.507(e).

   (C) Insofar as it is technically feasible, the incumbent LEC shall test
   and report troubles for all the features, functions, and capabilities
   of conditioned copper lines, and may not restrict its testing to voice
   transmission only.

   (iii) Maintenance, repair, and testing. (A) An incumbent LEC shall
   provide, on a nondiscriminatory basis, physical loop test access points
   to a requesting telecommunications carrier at the splitter, through a
   cross-connection to the requesting telecommunications carrier's
   collocation space, or through a standardized interface, such as an
   intermediate distribution frame or a test access server, for the
   purpose of testing, maintaining, and repairing copper loops and copper
   subloops.

   (B) An incumbent LEC seeking to utilize an alternative physical access
   methodology may request approval to do so from the state commission,
   but must show that the proposed alternative method is reasonable and
   nondiscriminatory, and will not disadvantage a requesting
   telecommunications carrier's ability to perform loop or service
   testing, maintenance, or repair.

   (iv) Control of the loop and splitter functionality. In situations
   where a requesting telecommunications carrier is obtaining access to
   the high frequency portion of a copper loop through a line splitting
   arrangement, the incumbent LEC may maintain control over the loop and
   splitter equipment and functions, and shall provide to the requesting
   telecommunications carrier loop and splitter functionality that is
   compatible with any transmission technology that the requesting
   telecommunications carrier seeks to deploy using the high frequency
   portion of the loop, as defined in paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section,
   provided that such transmission technology is presumed to be deployable
   pursuant to § 51.230.

   (v) Transition period for narrowband loops. Notwithstanding any other
   provision of the Commission's rules in this part, an incumbent LEC
   shall continue to provide a requesting telecommunications carrier with
   nondiscriminatory access to two-wire and four-wire analog voice grade
   copper loops, the TDM-features, functions, and capabilities of hybrid
   loops, or to a 64 kilobits per second transmission path capable of
   voice grade service over the fiber-to-the-home loop or
   fiber-to-the-curb loop for 36 months until February 8, 2024, provided
   such loop was being provided before February 8, 2021.

   (vi) Transition period for digital copper loops and two-wire and
   four-wire copper loops conditioned to transmit digital signals.
   Notwithstanding the remainder of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, an
   incumbent LEC shall continue to provide a requesting telecommunications
   carrier with nondiscriminatory access to copper loops as defined in
   this section for 48 months until February 10, 2025, provided that the
   incumbent LEC began providing such loop no later than February 8, 2023.
   Incumbent LECs may raise the rates charged for such loops by no more
   than 25 percent during months 37 to 48 of this transition period and
   may charge market-based rates after month 48.

   (2) Hybrid loops. A hybrid loop is a local loop composed of both fiber
   optic cable, usually in the feeder plant, and copper wire or cable,
   usually in the distribution plant.(i) Packet switching facilities,
   features, functions, and capabilities. An incumbent LEC is not required
   to provide unbundled access to the packet switched features, functions
   and capabilities of its hybrid loops. Packet switching capability is
   the routing or forwarding of packets, frames, cells, or other data
   units based on address or other routing information contained in the
   packets, frames, cells or other data units, and the functions that are
   performed by the digital subscriber line access multiplexers, including
   but not limited to the ability to terminate an end-user customer's
   copper loop (which includes both a low-band voice channel and a
   high-band data channel, or solely a data channel); the ability to
   forward the voice channels, if present, to a circuit switch or multiple
   circuit switches; the ability to extract data units from the data
   channels on the loops; and the ability to combine data units from
   multiple loops onto one or more trunks connecting to a packet switch or
   packet switches.

   (ii) [Reserved]

   (3) Fiber loops—(i) Definitions—(A) Fiber-to-the-home loops. A
   fiber-to-the-home loop is a local loop consisting entirely of fiber
   optic cable, whether dark or lit, serving an end user's customer
   premises or, in the case of predominantly residential multiple dwelling
   units (MDUs), a fiber optic cable, whether dark or lit, that extends to
   the multiunit premises' minimum point of entry (MPOE).

   (B) Fiber-to-the-curb loops. A fiber-to-the-curb loop is a local loop
   consisting of fiber optic cable connecting to a copper distribution
   plant that is not more than 500 feet from the customer's premises or,
   in the case of predominantly residential MDUs, not more than 500 feet
   from the MDU's MPOE. The fiber optic cable in a fiber-to-the-curb loop
   must connect to a copper distribution plant at a serving area interface
   from which every other copper distribution subloop also is not more
   than 500 feet from the respective customer's premises.

   (ii) New builds. An incumbent LEC is not required to provide
   nondiscriminatory access to a fiber-to-the-home loop or a
   fiber-to-the-curb loop on an unbundled basis when the incumbent LEC
   deploys such a loop to an end user's customer premises that previously
   has not been served by any loop facility.

   (iii) Overbuilds. An incumbent LEC is not required to provide
   nondiscriminatory access to a fiber-to-the-home loop or a
   fiber-to-the-curb loop on an unbundled basis when the incumbent LEC has
   deployed such a loop parallel to, or in replacement of, an existing
   copper loop facility, except that:

   (A) The incumbent LEC must maintain the existing copper loop connected
   to the particular customer premises after deploying the
   fiber-to-the-home loop or the fiber-to-the-curb loop and provide
   nondiscriminatory access to that copper loop on an unbundled basis
   unless the incumbent LEC retires the copper loops pursuant to paragraph
   (a)(3)(iv) of this section.

   (B) An incumbent LEC that maintains the existing copper loops pursuant
   to paragraph (a)(3)(iii)(A) of this section need not incur any expenses
   to ensure that the existing copper loop remains capable of transmitting
   signals prior to receiving a request for access pursuant to that
   paragraph, in which case the incumbent LEC shall restore the copper
   loop to serviceable condition upon request.

   (iv) Retirement of copper loops or copper subloops. Prior to retiring
   any copper loop or copper subloop that has been replaced with a
   fiber-to-the-home loop or a fiber-to-the-curb loop, an incumbent LEC
   must comply with:

   (A) The network disclosure requirements set forth in section 251(c)(5)
   of the Act and in § 51.325 through § 51.335; and

   (B) Any applicable state requirements.

   (4) DS1 loops. (i) Availability of DS1 loops. (A) Subject to the cap
   described in paragraph (a)(4)(ii) of this section, an incumbent LEC
   shall provide a requesting telecommunications carrier with
   nondiscriminatory access to a DS1 loop on an unbundled basis to any
   building not served by a wire center with at least 60,000 business
   lines and at least four fiber-based collocators, but only if that
   building is located in:

   (1) Any county or portion of a county served by a price cap incumbent
   LEC that is not included on the list of counties that have been deemed
   competitive pursuant to the competitive market test established under
   § 69.803 of this chapter; or

   (2) Any study area served by a rate-of-return incumbent LEC provided
   that study area is not included on the list of competitive study areas
   pursuant to the competitive market test established under § 61.50 of
   this chapter.

   (B) Once a wire center exceeds both the business line and fiber-based
   collocator thresholds, no future DS1 loop unbundling will be required
   in that wire center. A DS1 loop is a digital local loop having a total
   digital signal speed of 1.544 megabytes per second. DS1 loops include,
   but are not limited to, two-wire and four-wire copper loops capable of
   providing high-bit rate digital subscriber line services, including T1
   services.

   (ii) Cap on unbundled DS1 loop circuits. A requesting
   telecommunications carrier may obtain a maximum of ten unbundled DS1
   loops to any single building in which DS1 loops are available as
   unbundled loops.

   (iii) Transition period. Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(4)(i) of this
   section, an incumbent LEC shall continue to provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to DS1 loops
   for 42 months until August 8, 2024, provided the incumbent LEC began
   providing such loop no later than February 8, 2023.

   (5) DS3 loops. (i) Availability of DS3 loops. (A) Subject to the cap
   described in paragraph (a)(5)(ii) of this section, an incumbent LEC
   shall provide a requesting telecommunications carrier with
   nondiscriminatory access to a DS3 loop on an unbundled basis to any
   building not served by a wire center with at least 38,000 business
   lines and at least four fiber-based collocators, but only if that
   building is located in one of the following:

   (1) Any county or portion of a county served by a price cap incumbent
   LEC that is not included on the list of counties that have been deemed
   competitive pursuant to the competitive market test established under
   § 69.803 of this chapter; or

   (2) Any study area served by a rate-of-return incumbent LEC provided
   that study area is not included on the list of competitive study areas
   pursuant to the competitive market test established under § 61.50 of
   this chapter.

   (B) Once a wire center exceeds the business line and fiber-based
   collocator thresholds, no future DS3 loop unbundling will be required
   in that wire center. A DS3 loop is a digital local loop having a total
   digital signal speed of 44.736 megabytes per second.

   (ii) Cap on unbundled DS3 loop circuits. A requesting
   telecommunications carrier may obtain a maximum of a single unbundled
   DS3 loop to any single building in which DS3 loops are available as
   unbundled loops.

   (iii) Transition period. Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(5)(i) of this
   section, an incumbent LEC shall continue to provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to DS3 loops
   for 36 months after until February 8, 2024, provided such loop was
   being provided before February 8, 2021.

   (6) Dark fiber loops. An incumbent LEC is not required to provide
   requesting telecommunications carriers with access to a dark fiber loop
   on an unbundled basis. Dark fiber is fiber within an existing fiber
   optic cable that has not yet been activated through optronics to render
   it capable of carrying communications services.

   (7) Routine network modifications. (i) An incumbent LEC shall make all
   routine network modifications to unbundled loop facilities used by
   requesting telecommunications carriers where the requested loop
   facility has already been constructed. An incumbent LEC shall perform
   these routine network modifications to unbundled loop facilities in a
   nondiscriminatory fashion, without regard to whether the loop facility
   being accessed was constructed on behalf, or in accordance with the
   specifications, of any carrier.

   (ii) A routine network modification is an activity that the incumbent
   LEC regularly undertakes for its own customers. Routine network
   modifications include, but are not limited to, rearranging or splicing
   of cable; adding an equipment case; adding a doubler or repeater;
   adding a smart jack; installing a repeater shelf; adding a line card;
   deploying a new multiplexer or reconfiguring an existing multiplexer;
   and attaching electronic and other equipment that the incumbent LEC
   ordinarily attaches to a DS1 loop to activate such loop for its own
   customer. Routine network modifications may entail activities such as
   accessing manholes, deploying bucket trucks to reach aerial cable, and
   installing equipment casings. Routine network modifications do not
   include the construction of a new loop, or the installation of new
   aerial or buried cable for a requesting telecommunications carrier.

   (8) Engineering policies, practices, and procedures. An incumbent LEC
   shall not engineer the transmission capabilities of its network in a
   manner, or engage in any policy, practice, or procedure, that disrupts
   or degrades access to a local loop or subloop, including the time
   division multiplexing-based features, functions, and capabilities of a
   hybrid loop, for which a requesting telecommunications carrier may
   obtain or has obtained access pursuant to paragraph (a) of this
   section.

   (b) Subloops and network interface devices. An incumbent LEC shall
   provide a requesting telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory
   access to subloops on an unbundled basis in accordance with section
   251(c)(3) of the Act and this part and as set forth in this paragraph
   (b), provided that the underlying loop is available as set forth in
   paragraph (a) of this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of
   the Commission's rules in this part, an incumbent LEC shall continue to
   provide a requesting telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory
   access to the subloop for access to multiunit premises wiring and
   network interface devices on an unbundled basis for 36 months until
   February 8, 2024, provided such subloop or network interface device was
   being provided before February 8, 2021.

   (1) Copper subloops. An incumbent LEC shall provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to a copper
   subloop on an unbundled basis. A copper subloop is a portion of a
   copper loop, or hybrid loop, comprised entirely of copper wire or
   copper cable that acts as a transmission facility between any point of
   technically feasible access in an incumbent LEC's outside plant,
   including inside wire owned or controlled by the incumbent LEC, and the
   end-user customer premises. A copper subloop includes all intermediate
   devices (including repeaters and load coils) used to establish a
   transmission path between a point of technically feasible access and
   the demarcation point at the end-user customer premises, and includes
   the features, functions, and capabilities of the copper loop. Copper
   subloops include two-wire and four-wire analog voice-grade subloops as
   well as two-wire and four-wire subloops conditioned to transmit the
   digital signals needed to provide digital subscriber line services,
   regardless of whether the subloops are in service or held as spares.

   (i) Point of technically feasible access. A point of technically
   feasible access is any point in the incumbent LEC's outside plant where
   a technician can access the copper wire within a cable without removing
   a splice case. Such points include, but are not limited to, a pole or
   pedestal, the serving area interface, the network interface device, the
   minimum point of entry, any remote terminal, and the
   feeder/distribution interface. An incumbent LEC shall, upon a
   site-specific request, provide access to a copper subloop at a splice
   near a remote terminal. The incumbent LEC shall be compensated for
   providing this access in accordance with § § 51.501 through 51.515.

   (ii) Rules for collocation. Access to the copper subloop is subject to
   the Commission's collocation rules at § § 51.321 and 51.323.

   (2) [Reserved]

   (3) Other subloop provisions— (i) Technical feasibility. If parties are
   unable to reach agreement through voluntary negotiations as to whether
   it is technically feasible, or whether sufficient space is available,
   to unbundle a copper subloop at the point where a telecommunications
   carrier requests, the incumbent LEC shall have the burden of
   demonstrating to the state commission, in state proceedings under
   section 252 of the Act, that there is not sufficient space available,
   or that it is not technically feasible to unbundle the subloop at the
   point requested.

   (ii) Best practices. Once one state commission has determined that it
   is technically feasible to unbundle subloops at a designated point, an
   incumbent LEC in any state shall have the burden of demonstrating to
   the state commission, in state proceedings under section 252 of the
   Act, that it is not technically feasible, or that sufficient space is
   not available, to unbundle its own loops at such a point.

   (c) Dedicated transport. An incumbent LEC shall provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to dedicated
   transport on an unbundled basis, in accordance with section 251(c)(3)
   of the Act and this part, as set forth in paragraphs (d) through (d)(4)
   of this section. A “route” is a transmission path between one of an
   incumbent LEC's wire centers or switches and another of the incumbent
   LEC's wire centers or switches. A route between two points (e.g., wire
   center or switch “A” and wire center or switch “Z”) may pass through
   one or more intermediate wire centers or switches (e.g., wire center or
   switch “X”). Transmission paths between identical end points (e.g.,
   wire center or switch “A” and wire center or switch “Z”) are the same
   “route,” irrespective of whether they pass through the same
   intermediate wire centers or switches, if any.

   (1) Definition. For purposes of this section, dedicated transport
   includes incumbent LEC transmission facilities between wire centers or
   switches owned by incumbent LECs, or between wire centers or switches
   owned by incumbent LECs and switches owned by requesting
   telecommunications carriers, including, but not limited to, DS1-, DS3-,
   and OCn-capacity level services, as well as dark fiber, dedicated to a
   particular customer or carrier.

   (2) Availability. (i) Entrance facilities. An incumbent LEC is not
   obligated to provide a requesting carrier with unbundled access to
   dedicated transport that does not connect a pair of incumbent LEC wire
   centers.

   (ii) Dedicated DS1 transport. Dedicated DS1 transport shall be made
   available to requesting carriers on an unbundled basis as set forth in
   paragraphs (d)(2)(ii)(A) and (B) of this section. Dedicated DS1
   transport consists of incumbent LEC interoffice transmission facilities
   that have a total digital signal speed of 1.544 megabytes per second
   and are dedicated to a particular customer or carrier.

   (A) General availability of DS1 transport. Incumbent LECs shall
   unbundle DS1 transport between any pair of incumbent LEC wire centers
   except where, through application of tier classifications described in
   paragraph (d)(3) of this section, both wire centers defining the route
   are Tier 1 wire centers. As such, an incumbent LEC must unbundle DS1
   transport if a wire center at either end of a requested route is not a
   Tier 1 wire center, or if neither is a Tier 1 wire center.

   (B) Cap on unbundled DS1 transport circuits. A requesting
   telecommunications carrier may obtain a maximum of ten unbundled DS1
   dedicated transport circuits on each route where DS1 dedicated
   transport is available on an unbundled basis.

   (iii) Dedicated DS3 transport. Dedicated DS3 transport shall be made
   available to requesting carriers on an unbundled basis as set forth in
   paragraphs (d)(2)(iii)(A) and(B) of this section. Dedicated DS3
   transport consists of incumbent LEC interoffice transmission facilities
   that have a total digital signal speed of 44.736 megabytes per second
   and are dedicated to a particular customer or carrier.

   (A) General availability of DS3 transport. Incumbent LECs shall
   unbundle DS3 transport between any pair of incumbent LEC wire centers
   except where, through application of tier classifications described in
   paragraph (d)(3) of this section, both wire centers defining the route
   are either Tier 1 or Tier 2 wire centers. As such, an incumbent LEC
   must unbundle DS3 transport if a wire center on either end of a
   requested route is a Tier 3 wire center.

   (B) Cap on unbundled DS3 transport circuits. A requesting
   telecommunications carrier may obtain a maximum of 12 unbundled DS3
   dedicated transport circuits on each route where DS3 dedicated
   transport is available on an unbundled basis.

   (iv) Dark fiber transport. Dark fiber transport consists of unactivated
   optical interoffice transmission facilities. Incumbent LECs shall
   unbundle dark fiber transport between any pair of incumbent LEC wire
   centers except where, through application of tier classifications
   described in paragraph (d)(3) of this section, both wire centers
   defining the route are either Tier 1, Tier 2, or a Tier 3 wire center
   identified on the list of wire centers that has been found to be within
   a half mile of alternative fiber pursuant to the Report and Order on
   Remand and Memorandum Opinion and Order in WC Docket No. 18-14, FCC
   19-66 (released July 12, 2019). An incumbent LEC must unbundle dark
   fiber transport only if a wire center on either end of a requested
   route is a Tier 3 wire center that is not on the published list of wire
   centers. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Commission's rules
   in this part, an incumbent LEC shall continue to provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to dark fiber
   transport for eight years until February 8, 2029, provided such dark
   fiber transport was being provided before February 8, 2021.

   (3) Wire center tier structure. For purposes of this section, incumbent
   LEC wire centers shall be classified into three tiers, defined as
   follows:

   (i) Tier 1 wire centers are those incumbent LEC wire centers that
   contain at least four fiber-based collocators, at least 38,000 business
   lines, or both. Tier 1 wire centers also are those incumbent LEC tandem
   switching locations that have no line-side switching facilities, but
   nevertheless serve as a point of traffic aggregation accessible by
   competitive LECs. Once a wire center is determined to be a Tier 1 wire
   center, that wire center is not subject to later reclassification as a
   Tier 2 or Tier 3 wire center.

   (ii) Tier 2 wire centers are those incumbent LEC wire centers that are
   not Tier 1 wire centers, but contain at least 3 fiber-based
   collocators, at least 24,000 business lines, or both. Once a wire
   center is determined to be a Tier 2 wire center, that wire center is
   not subject to later reclassification as a Tier 3 wire center.

   (iii) Tier 3 wire centers are those incumbent LEC wire centers that do
   not meet the criteria for Tier 1 or Tier 2 wire centers.

   (4) Routine network modifications. (i) An incumbent LEC shall make all
   routine network modifications to unbundled dedicated transport
   facilities used by requesting telecommunications carriers where the
   requested dedicated transport facilities have already been constructed.
   An incumbent LEC shall perform all routine network modifications to
   unbundled dedicated transport facilities in a nondiscriminatory
   fashion, without regard to whether the facility being accessed was
   constructed on behalf, or in accordance with the specifications, of any
   carrier.

   (ii) A routine network modification is an activity that the incumbent
   LEC regularly undertakes for its own customers. Routine network
   modifications include, but are not limited to, rearranging or splicing
   of cable; adding an equipment case; adding a doubler or repeater;
   installing a repeater shelf; and deploying a new multiplexer or
   reconfiguring an existing multiplexer. They also include activities
   needed to enable a requesting telecommunications carrier to light a
   dark fiber transport facility. Routine network modifications may entail
   activities such as accessing manholes, deploying bucket trucks to reach
   aerial cable, and installing equipment casings. Routine network
   modifications do not include the installation of new aerial or buried
   cable for a requesting telecommunications carrier.

   (d) 911 and E911 databases. An incumbent LEC shall provide a requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to 911 and
   E911 databases on an unbundled basis, in accordance with section
   251(c)(3) of the Act and this part.

   (e) Operations support systems. An incumbent LEC shall provide a
   requesting telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to
   operations support systems on an unbundled basis only when it is used
   to manage other unbundled network elements, local interconnection, or
   local number portability, in accordance with section 251(c)(3) of the
   Act and this part. Operations support system functions consist of
   pre-ordering, ordering, provisioning, maintenance and repair, and
   billing functions supported by an incumbent LEC's databases and
   information. An incumbent LEC, as part of its duty to provide access to
   the pre-ordering function, shall provide the requesting
   telecommunications carrier with nondiscriminatory access to the same
   detailed information about the loop that is available to the incumbent
   LEC.

   [ 68 FR 52295 , Sept. 4, 2003, as amended at  68 FR 64000 , Nov. 12, 2003;
    69 FR 54591 , Sept. 9, 2004;  69 FR 77953 , Dec. 29, 2004;  70 FR 8953 ,
   Feb. 24, 2005:  78 FR 5746 , Jan. 28, 2013;  86 FR 1673 , Jan. 8, 2021;  86 FR 8872 , Feb. 10, 2021]