-- 059: Waive de minimis exemption -- -- Background: A filer whose Appendix A worksheet shows they qualify as -- de minimis is EXEMPT from contributing to USF (§ 54.706). But many -- carriers — especially small VoIP resellers — have a business reason to -- file as a regular contributing filer even when de minimis qualifies: -- -- Upstream wholesale SIP providers charge USF surcharges on the trunk -- bill. A regular contributing carrier can show the vendor their 499 -- Filer ID + a "Reseller Certification" (see table -- reseller_certifications) and have the vendor waive wholesale-side -- USF. A de minimis filer cannot — they eat the vendor's USF charge -- because they don't contribute directly. -- -- The economic break-even: when the carrier's own USF contribution -- (interstate revenue * quarterly factor) is LESS than the USF -- surcharge on wholesale trunking, filing as regular saves money -- overall even though they'd otherwise be exempt. -- -- So: give the filer an explicit opt-out. Set waive_deminimis_exemption=TRUE -- and the handler will file a full 499-A with USF contribution obligations -- even when the Appendix A calc shows de minimis status. ALTER TABLE compliance_orders ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS waive_deminimis_exemption BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE; -- Why they chose to waive — short free-text so the admin-review dashboard -- and auditors can see the intent. Not required. ALTER TABLE compliance_orders ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS waive_deminimis_reason TEXT;