All adjustment requests go through an approval process. When a request is submitted, CPUC staff will review the request and notify you when the request is approved, denied, or if additional information is needed. If you have further questions, email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

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Prior to the surcharge mechanism update, carriers would report monthly revenue subject to surcharges in the legacy TUFFS.  The revenue reported for each of the three months would aggregate by TUFFS to calculate user fees due for the quarter.   Now, instead of reporting revenue subject to surcharges, you will only report your monthly revenue subject to user fees.  The new TUFFS will aggregate reported for each of the three months to calculate user fees due at the end of the quarter.

The volume of rainwater within any bunded area should never exceed 5% of the total volume of the bund. Accumulated rainwater and other liquid in the base of the bund will reduce its capacity and may need to be disposed of as hazardous/special waste.

Supervise deliveries of raw materials or fuels to your site and clearly label tanks with their contents and storage capacity; this will reduce the risk of overfill and spillage.

The Communications Division made changes to the First Data payment portal to align payment remittances with the Access Line Flat Rate Surcharge mechanism. To successfully remit the surcharge payment, your bank institution needs to modify the Automatic Clearing House (ACH) Debit filters and blocks using the new Company name: Access Line Surcharge and/or Company ID: 3943031353.

Spillbunding

After submitting the data in the new TUFFS, the system will display a “Make Payment” button that will redirect you to the First Data payment portal:  https://www.govone.com/PAYCAL/CPUC/Account/Logon

Evidence of leaks can include discolouration of unrendered block or concrete bund walls or an oily sheen on any water standing on the ground close to the bund. If the bund is leaking, you should take immediate action to prevent land contamination and pollution of surface waters and groundwater. Your environmental regulator will be able to advise you on what action you should take.

When you report the revenue for the last month of the quarter, you will be presented with the revenue reported for the prior two months.  The fields displaying the revenue reported for each month will be editable for any necessary corrections.

If possible, put a roof over the bund and cover the sides that receive the most severe weather. By reducing the amount of contaminated rainwater in the bund that you must dispose of, you could save money.

You may access your TUFFS account and update the Primary Regulatory Contact information by clicking on “Update Utility Contact” located on the bottom-right of the Carrier Profile Information.

If the old Primary Regulatory Contact is no longer with the company, you may submit a Utility Contact Update Form to CDCompliance@cpuc.ca.gov.  Then, request access to TUFFS to TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

For periods prior to April, login to your legacy TUFFS account and review the information under the “Reporting & History” tab.  For more details, click on Legacy TUFFS User Guide, Section V or contact us.

FloorBunding

You may be a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) carrier, who are not currently subject to user fees. If you are not a VoIP carrier and are not able to report user fees, email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

For periods April and beyond, login to your new TUFFS account and review the information under the “Reporting & History” tab.  For more details see TUFFS User Guide, Section 3.0 or contact us.

Submit a Credit Request through your TUFFS Account for funds to be moved to the correct period. If you have further questions, email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

The new TUFFS was configured to function similarly to the legacy TUFFS for calculating user fees.  The revenue will continue to be reported monthly and be aggregated to calculate user fees at the end of the quarter.

Identify a location on site where you can set up a storage compound for oil, fuel and chemicals. Ideally, the compound should remain in the same place for the duration of your works. It should be as far away as possible from surface waters, groundwater and surface water drains.

Chemicalbundingrequirements Australia

Your environmental regulator can serve you with an 'anti pollution works notice if your site causes, or is at risk of causing water pollution. This notice will require you to clean up any pollution and to take action to prevent any further pollution.

Submit a Refund Request through your TUFFS Account for excess surcharges/user fees. All refund requests go through an approval process. When a request is submitted, CPUC staff will review the request and notify you when the request is approved, denied, or if additional information is needed. If you have further questions, email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

Any trigger guns present should be fitted with an automatic cut off. This will help prevent spills of fuel onto the ground from equipment or containers being overfilled.

CPUC creates First Data payment portal profiles for carriers when they are granted operating authority. The Primary Regulatory Contact for each new carrier will receive a welcome email from new TUFFS, which includes your CPUC ID and the security code for first time users to register on the First Data payment portal. If you have any questions, email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

A bund is a structure that storage tanks or barrels can be stored inside. It is designed to prevent oil, fuel or chemicals from escaping into the environment if the storage tank or barrels leak or burst.

Chemicalbunding

A notice close to the bund should display the maximum number of barrels and containers that can be stored at any one time.

Bunds or secondary containment systems must meet certain requirements, as specified in General Binding Rule (GBR) 28 in Scotland and the Oil Storage Regulations in Northern Ireland. The requirements include:

Submit an Adjustment request through your TUFFS account. Please see section 6.0 of the user guide for guidance: TUFFS User Guide.

The Commission adopted D.22-10-021 on October 24, 2022. All telephone corporations, including traditional wireline, wireless and Voice over Internet Protocol carriers or providers, shall implement the new access line flat rate surcharge collection and remittance mechanism adopted in this decision, effective April 1, 2023.

Note that regarding the Automatic Clearing House (ACH) Debit filters and blocks, the Company Name and the Company ID are identifiers of the new bank account set up by CPUC for Access Line surcharge payment remittances.

Where appropriate, you could paint concrete bunds or refuelling areas with epoxy-type paint to prevent fuel and oil drips from soaking in.

All hoses, valves, trigger guns, funnels and other associated equipment should be kept within the bunded area to prevent land around the bund from being contaminated.

When you break out the concrete at the end of the project, it may not need to be disposed of as hazardous/special waste as it is less likely to contain soaked-in oil or diesel. Look at the broken out concrete to see if it is discoloured, smell it to see if it smells of oil, diesel or petrol. If you are unsure, have samples laboratory tested. You should also make sure that your waste haulage contractor agrees with your classification of the material.

Chemicalbundingrequirements

The Primary Regulatory Contact receives a welcome e-mail from the new TUFFS with a link to set-up a password and access the account. This welcome e-mail is only sent to the Primary Regulatory Contact and if it is not received, a new welcome e-mail can be resent. Send an e-mail request to TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov.

The Communications Division will only send the welcome e-mail to the Primary Regulatory Contact’s e-mail address. If you need to update the Primary Regulatory Contact email, complete a new CPUC Utility Contact Update Form and email the completed forms to CDCompliance@cpuc.ca.gov. Once we are in receipt of the updated Primary Regulatory Contact, we can send a welcome email to the updated Primary Regulatory Contact’s e-mail address.

The notices for the change in surcharge mechanism were sent via email to the Primary Regulatory Contact. The new TUFFS went live on May 2, 2023.

Click on “Forgot Password” link on the login screen of the First Data payment portal. If you have three failed login attempts, your account will be locked. Email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov to unlock your account.

Note after three failed login attempts, your account will be locked. Email us at TelcoSurcharge@cpuc.ca.gov to unlock your account.