---
title: USF Traffic Study vs. Safe Harbor Before the Nov 1 499-Q
description: Safe harbor may overstate your interstate mix on the Nov 1 Form 499-Q. See how a USF traffic study finds your actual PIU. Free sample review from ATS.
image: https://blog.atso.com/hubfs/fcc-seal.png
---

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# Industry Leader in Telecom Data Analytics and Revenue Assurance

# Is Safe Harbor Costing You? A USF Traffic Study Before the Nov 1 499-Q

Posted by [Ryan Guthrie](https://blog.atso.com/author/ryan-guthrie) on Oct 12, 2026, 1:02:45 PM

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The Commpliance Group (TCG) has announced a collaboration with Advanced Technologies and Services (ATS) to offer USF traffic studies to TCG clients. ATS has worked with clients of TCG and its affiliated law firm, The CommLaw Group, on traffic studies for more than 18 years. ([Read TCG's announcement](https://commpliancegroup.com/2026/is-safe-harbor-costing-you-find-out-with-a-usf-traffic-study/).)

The announcement comes ahead of a filing date that matters. Here's what VoIP and wireless providers should know.

## Why the November 1 Form 499-Q matters

The November 1 FCC Form 499-Q projects your first-quarter 2027 revenues.

If those projections still use the FCC safe-harbor rate, you may be locking in a higher interstate mix than your traffic actually supports and carrying it into 2027.

## Safe harbor vs. actual PIU

Safe harbor is a default, not a measurement. The FCC's safe-harbor rates assume a fixed share of your traffic is interstate or international:

- **Interconnected VoIP:** 64.9%
- **Wireless:** 37.1%

Those defaults are convenient, but they likely do not match your customers' calling patterns. A USF traffic study replaces the default with your actual Percent of Interstate Usage (PIU), calculated from your call detail records (CDRs).

In ATS's experience, actual PIUs run well below safe harbor, often around half. Because USF contributions are tied to interstate and international revenue, an overstated interstate mix can raise what you, or your customers, pay into USAC.

## What a USF traffic study involves

ATS builds each study to the USAC standard. The process looks like this:

1. **Collect CDRs.** You provide call detail records for the period that will support your Form 499 reporting. ATS handles messy, multi-vendor formats.
2. **Classify jurisdiction.** Calls are sorted into intrastate, interstate, and international.
3. **Compute your PIU.** The study is designed to meet USAC's statistical requirements, with documented sampling and estimation methods.
4. **Deliver an audit-ready report.** You get a report prepared for submission to USAC.

**Turnaround:** typically one to two weeks after ATS receives a complete data set.

## Start with a free sample review

Not sure a study will pay off? Start small.

Send ATS a subset of your CDRs. We'll estimate whether a full study is likely to beat safe harbor. If it makes sense to move forward, you'll get a fixed-scope quote.

You can also get a quick estimate with the [USF Traffic Study Savings Calculator](https://www.atso.com/regulatory/usf-traffic-study/#usf_calculator).

## One study, used across the year

A study completed now can be applied to the November 1, 2026 Form 499-Q and then used on later 499-Q forecasts and the annual Form 499-A for the following year. 

## Working with TCG and The CommLaw Group

This collaboration builds on a long relationship. For more than 18 years, ATS has done traffic studies for clients of TCG and The CommLaw Group. TCG clients can now reach ATS's traffic study services directly through TCG.

## FAQ

### What is a USF traffic study?

A USF traffic study analyzes your call detail records to calculate your actual Percent of Interstate Usage (PIU) for Universal Service Fund reporting, instead of using the FCC's safe-harbor default.

### What are the FCC safe-harbor rates?

64.9% for interconnected VoIP and 37.1% for wireless. These are defaults, not measurements of your traffic.

### How long does a USF traffic study take?

ATS typically delivers an audit-ready report one to two weeks after receiving a complete data set.

### Can I find out if a study is worth it before committing?

Yes. Send ATS a subset of CDRs for a free sample review. ATS will estimate whether a full study is likely to beat safe harbor and then provide a fixed-scope quote.

## Find out if safe harbor is costing you

Before you file your November 1 Form 499-Q, see what your actual PIU looks like.

- **Learn more and request a free sample review:** [USF Traffic Study](https://www.atso.com/regulatory/usf-traffic-study/)
- **Estimate your savings:** [USF Traffic Study Savings Calculator](https://www.atso.com/regulatory/usf-traffic-study/#usf_calculator)
- **Talk to ATS:** 973-696-0990 · [info@atso.com](mailto:info@atso.com)

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