TSP Vendors


New Vendors are encouraged to access the About TSP webpage for background information on the TSP Program.

 

Scope of the TSP Program

The TSP Program rules, as specified in the TSP Report and Order (FCC 88-341), authorize priority treatment to the following telecommunications services:

Domestic NS/EP Services:

  • Common carrier services that are interstate and foreign telecommunications services
  • Common carrier services that are intrastate telecommunications services inseparable from interstate or foreign telecommunications services, including intrastate telecommunications services to which TSP priority levels are assigned
  • Services that are provided by government and noncommon carriers and are interconnected to common carrier services assigned TSP priority levels.
Control Services and Orderwires: The TSP Program established by the FCC's TSP Program rules is not applicable to control services or orderwires owned by a service vendor and needed for provisioning, restoration, or maintenance of other services owned by that service vendor. Such control services and orderwires shall have priority provisioning and restoration over all other telecommunications services (including TSP services) and shall be exempt from preemption. However, the TSP Program established by the FCC's TSP Program rules is applicable to control services or orderwires leased by a service vendor.

Other Services: In addition, priority treatment may be authorized at the discretion of, and upon special arrangements by, the NS/EP TSP Program users involved, to the following telecommunications services:

  • Government or noncommon carrier services that are not connected to common carrier provided services assigned a priority level
  • Portions of U.S. international services that are provided by foreign correspondents. (U.S. telecommunications service vendors are encouraged to ensure that relevant operating arrangements are consistent to the maximum extent practicable with the TSP Program. If such arrangements do not exist, U.S. telecommunications service vendors should handle service provisioning and restoration in accordance with any system acceptable to their foreign correspondents that comes closest to meeting the procedures established in the FCC's TSP Program rules.)

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TSP Service Description

The TSP Program has two components: provisioning and restoration. A provisioning priority is obtained to facilitate priority installation of new telecommunications services. Provisioning on a priority basis becomes necessary when a service user has an urgent requirement for a new NS/EP service that must be installed immediately (e.g., an emergency) or by a specific due date (e.g., essential) that can be met only by a shorter than standard service vendor provisioning timeframe.

A restoration priority is assigned to new or existing telecommunications services to ensure restoration before non-TSP services. Priority restoration should be assigned to a new service when interruptions may have a serious, adverse effect on the supported NS/EP function. TSP restoration priorities must be requested and assigned before a service outage occurs.

To provide priority provisioning or restoration of a telecommunications service, a service vendor must receive a service order containing a TSP Authorization Code. The TSP Authorization Code, a 12-digit alphanumeric code, serves as official authorization from the OPT for a TSP vendor to provide priority provisioning and/or restoration to an identified service. The TSP Authorization Code has two parts: (1) the TSP control identifier (ID), an alphanumeric identifier for tracking purposes, and (2) the TSP priority levels that identify the provisioning and restoration priority-level assignment. The TSP provisioning priority level will be E (the highest), 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. Note: Priority level "E" is assigned only to Emergency provisioning requests. The TSP restoration priority level will be 1 (the highest), 2, 3, 4, or 5. A zero (0) in either priority-level position indicates no priority. Note that prime service vendors are required to forward TSP Authorization Codes to applicable subcontractors to ensure that priority-level assignments of NS/EP services are accurately identified "end-to-end."

In addition, service vendors are required to provision and/or restore NS/EP telecommunications services according to the following priority-level-based sequence:

  1. Restore TSP services assigned restoration priority 1;
  2. Provision Emergency TSP Services assigned provisioning priority E;
  3. Restore TSP Services assigned restoration priority 2, 3, 4, or 5; and
  4. Provision TSP Services assigned provisioning priority 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Service vendors should refer NS/EP customers who request priority provisioning and restoration of services to the OPT for detailed information on the TSP Program.

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