e reporting side of the system will report in more detail. 12 BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL PLANNING A second, or similar, version of the same form showing total telephone services expense, by department and location. This can provide the communications manager and corporate executives with a clear picture of the level of spending for each category of services across the organization's sphere of operations. Addition of an asset category or list of all items of equipment driving depreciation accounts included in the expense summaries, by department or cost center, by location. This information should be equally available and apparent to anyone charged with budgeting, planning, and managing communications cost. Managing the cost of communications is not just paying the telephone bill anymore. It requires capital expenditure, and typically involves consultants and contractors. Moreover, there are strategic implications where call centers and Internet websites sell directly, or support customers. Separate administrative equipment and application specific or functional equipment. For example, if a real communications cost management department exists, its administrative equipment and software assets should be budgeted and reported separately from common communications equipment such as voice switches, routers, data switches, network interface devices, local area network (LAN) equipment, etc. This extends to news and other program centric production operations and facilities where communications circuits, equipment, facilities, and services are used to transport content. Depreciation expense should be derived from the asset category and given the same classification as basic communications expenses, broken out by voice, data, Internet access, and functional sub- categories. Break out of maintenance contracts for software and hard- ware. Before launching off into the budgeting and planning waters, let's step back and make a point or two about what has been de- scribed and restate the importance of recording communications exp