Wholesale: Products & Services

Billing Information – CABS (Carrier Access Billing System) - V2.0

Description

Communications Data Group (CDG) Carrier Access Billing System (CABS) is one of the systems CenturyLink™ uses to bill various products and services which are not billable via Ensemble, Miscellaneous Billing System (MBS), or any other CenturyLink billing system.

Some of the charges billed by CABS are:

• Access to Emergency Services (911/E911) (Facility Based CLECs only)
• Collocation – General Information (monthly recurring charges only)
• Common Channel Signaling Access Capability/Signaling System 7 (CCSAC/SS7) – Finished - Interconnection Port and Message Charges – Local Service
• Local Interconnection Service (LIS)
• Resale – Frame Relay Service
• Unbundled Dedicated Interoffice Transport (UDIT)
• Unbundled Dark Fiber (UDF) – Recurring and nonrecurring charges associated with installation charges

Availability

CenturyLink products/services are offered in CenturyLink QC. To determine which products/services are available in which states, consult the Product Catalog (PCAT) for information.

Pricing

Rates

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

Cost Dockets are state-mandated rates, determined by each state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) or state regulatory agencies.  You will be notified of Cost Docket rate changes when the rates in a specific Interconnection Agreement are updated.  You can request a copy of the updated Interconnection Agreement from your CenturyLink Service Manager.  You will be notified by a second notification at least 15 days prior to the implementation of the new rates in the CenturyLink billing system.

Tariffs, Regulations and Policies

Tariffs, regulations and policies are located in the state specific Tariffs/Catalogs/Price Lists.

Implementation

Prerequisites

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

Pre-Ordering

Pre-Ordering procedures are explained in the PCATs for the product or service you are ordering from CenturyLink.

Ordering

Ordering procedures are explained in the PCATs for the product or service you are ordering from CenturyLink.

Billing Format

Your CABS bill and/or Customer Service Record (CSR) can be received in the following formats:

• Paper
• E-Bill which provides the ability to access the following CABS items as PDF copies through the CenturyLink website:
  • Invoice image
  • Customer Service Record (CSR) image
  • Remittance document for the account
    • CDG CABS EFT Protocol: EFT Protocol Types:
    • FTP-SSH: Auto flow or Manual Push/Pull
    • FTPS-SSL: Auto flow or Manual Push/Pull
    • HTTPS (Web Browser)
    • AS2
    • Connect: Direct over VPN
      • File Format available
        • CDG CABS BOS (Billing Output Specifications) BDT (Bill Data Tape)
        • Bill Image
        • CDG CABS BOS BDT plus Bill Image in a .zip format

The CABS BDT format is created in Billing Output Specifications (BOS) Industry Guideline format. If for any reason CABS needs to deviate from this standard on the BDT, the deviations are documented on a Differences List. If you have selected the BDT format, refer to CenturyLink's BDT Differences List.

In order to receive notification of changes affecting the BDT (i.e., yearly version updates) customers must subscribe to either the Systems or the CABS/BOS option thru the Notification Subscription tool on the Wholesale website.

CABS BOS is a Telecom Industry Guideline format, which is copyrighted and maintained by Telcordia. It is comprised of the following volumes:

• SR 1869 – Vol. 1A – Codes and Phrases
• SR 1871 – Vol. 2 – Service Exhibits
• SR 1872 – Vol. 3 – Bill Data Tape
• SR 1873 – Vol. 3A – Billing Data Tape Edits
• SR 1874 – Vol. 4 – Data Elements

You must contact iconectiv directly in order to obtain the BOS documentation. Contact iconectiv at 877-699-5577 or 732--699-5577 or email to order any or all of the BOS volumes.

For Resale – Frame Relay Service, these billing options are available to you:

• Regular IABS Private Line which is non BOS Standard - Available in paper
• Regular retail formatted bill option - Available in paper

The product you purchase may limit the billing options. Refer to the specific product for more information.

Billing

Overview of CABS Billing

When you submit a service request, CenturyLink generates one or more service orders, depending on the requested activity and/or service.

Upon completion of the service order(s) CenturyLink performs the following activities:

• Updates your account in the databases to ensure that all information is current
• Updates the CenturyLink CSR when the account is processed for billing
• Rates each item on the order(s), based on tariff information and/or data from your Interconnection Agreement. Information is available in the state specific Tariffs/Catalogs/Price Lists.

CABS account bill dates are determined at the time the account is established. CABS generates the appropriate recurring and non-recurring charges, per service order, for display on your monthly CABS bill.

Completed service orders are used to update your CenturyLink CSR. The CenturyLink CSR provides an inventory of elements that have a monthly recurring charge associated with them. CABS also receives usage and per transaction data, which is used to generate Minutes of Use (MOU), Messages, and other per transaction charges, when this type of service has been established via a service order.

Each CABS bill is composed of various sections as follows:

• Bill Common Header
• Bill Identification Title
• Balance Due
• Detail of Current Charges
• Detail of Payments
• Detail of Other Charges and Credits (if applicable)
• Detail of Adjustments (if applicable)
• Detail of Late Payments (if applicable)
• Detail of Usage Charges (if applicable)
• Facility Access Circuit Listing
• Summary Totals section (if applicable)
• Detail of Taxes/Surcharges

Bill phrases provide information for credits and/or charges that appear in either the "Detail of Other Charges and Credits" or "Detail of Adjustments Applied" sections of the bills. If you receive your bill in BDT format, a BOS bill phrase code will be provided. Refer to Telcordia’s BOS documentation, Volume 1A (SR 1869) for a list of standard bill phrase codes with the associated English text.

Billing Account Number (BAN) Assignment

BAN assignment is as follows:

• If the 9th character of the BAN = A,B,C,D or 7, then Account Billing Type = Switched
• If the 9th character of the BAN = S or W, then Account Billing Type = Specials
• CenturyLink Company Code, e.g., 3400 - ( TELEPHONE COMPANY NORTHWEST-1)
• IXC, e.g., ABC1

This example of the BAN number would be 3400ABC1S3 Specials Facility product.

The following table describes some commonly found types of charges that may appear on your CABS bill. (NOTE: In many cases, you should refer to either your Interconnection Agreement or the tariff for applicable rates and calculations.)

Charge	Basic Description
Additional Labor Charges	Charges assessed when CenturyLink technicians are required to work overtime or outside normal working hours.
Cancellation Charges	The charge applied when a requested service is cancelled the ordering process.
Customer Transfer Charges (CTC)	CTCs are charges that apply in the following situations: Converting a CenturyLink account to a CLEC Account. Changing an end-user from one CLEC to another CLEC.
Expedite Charges	The charge applied when a CLEC requests services in less than a standard time frame.
Fractionals  (OC&C –Other Charges and Credits)	When service does not span an entire Bill Period (e.g., new connect or disconnect), the recurring charge is prorated to bill or credit from the date the service was installed or disconnected. The prorating is calculated based on a 30 day Bill Period. Calculation:  Recurring Rate divided by 30 equals Daily Rate; Daily Rate times Number of Days in Service
Interest Credits	A credit assessed on money received in error or a deposit.
Late Payment Charges	A charge assessed when payment for a bill is not received in a specified time frame.
Minimum Billing Period	The minimum period for which services are billed and for which rates and charges are applicable.  When a service is discontinued prior to the expiration of the minimum period, charges are applicable, whether the service is used or not. Minimum Billing Periods may not apply to all types of products.
Non Recurring	A charge that applies for work activity (e.g., an installation charge).
Out of Service Credits /Adjustments	Credits assessed when a circuit or service is not working, depending on the type of service.
Recurring	Flat rated monthly charges that apply to each Bill Period. Rates are either contracted or tariffed.  For billing purposes, each Bill Period is based on 30 days
Taxes and Surcharges	Charges assessed or approved by a governing body on services or products provided.
Testing Charges	Charges applied to provide a CenturyLink technician to perform network testing.
Usage Charges	Charges applied on a per Minutes of Use (MOU), a per call, or per query basis. Usage is accumulated over a bill period.

When a new BAN is established, in addition to returning the new BAN number on the Firm Order Confirmation (FOC), CenturyLink will send an email to the customer contact as listed on their current Questionnaire to provide the newly assigned BAN number.

Disputes

General dispute process activities are described in the Billing Information – Dispute Process.

Rate Validation

CenturyLink has a process for validation of rates.  When CenturyLink determines a billed rate correction is necessary, you will be notified by your CenturyLink Billing SDC at least 10 days prior to the correction being made.  The 10-day window will begin when the CenturyLink Billing SDC sends a detailed Rate Change Notification form to you.  The Rate Change Notification form will include information explaining the old and new rates, effective date of the correction, etc. 

Bill Resend

There may be times when you wish to have a copy of a bill resent to you. To do this, you should contact your CenturyLink Billing SDC.

• Resend of a paper bill will normally take between 2-10 days, depending on the type of product being billed. Applicable tariff charges will apply for a paper copy, or you can go to the CenturyLink eBill tool and download the information at no cost
• Resend of alternate CABS bill media will take between 2-4 business days.

If you have not received the resent bill within the designated time, you should contact your CenturyLink Billing SDC.

A resend request made for the formats of EFT Protocol can only be accommodated for the current bill cycle. The request must be received by the CenturyLink Billing SDC prior to the date for the next month’s bill. Any request made for a previous month’s bill, subsequent to the current month, will be sent on paper, regardless of the original media type.

Training

Local CenturyLink 101 Doing Business with CenturyLink

• Course Description
  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.

View additional CenturyLink courses by clicking on Training Catalog.

Contacts

If you have questions, you should call the telephone number provided on the Face Page of your CABS bill or your Billing SDC. You can also contact your assigned CenturyLink Service Manager for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can a dispute be issued verbally?
No, all billing disputes must be submitted in writing.

2. How do I change my media type received?
Update your CLEC Questionnaire.

Last Update: October 9, 2023

Last Reviewed: March 27, 2024

End Office Common Language® is a Registered Trademark of iconectiv^®.
CLLI™ is a Trademark of iconectiv^®.