Title 35-A: PUBLIC UTILITIES HEADING: PL 1987, C. 141, PT. A, §6 (NEW)
Part 7: TELECOMMUNICATIONS HEADING: PL 1987, C. 141, PT. A, §6 (NEW)
Chapter 71: GENERAL PROVISIONS HEADING: PL 1987, C. 141, PT. A, §6 (NEW)
§7101-B. Access rates
1.Definitions. As used in this section, the term "intrastate access rates" means rates that a telecommunications service provider pays
for access to a local exchange carrier's facilities and services in order to provide intrastate interexchange service.
[
1997, c. 259, §1 (NEW)
.]
2.Access rates. After any decrease of interstate access rates by the Federal Government, the commission shall consider corresponding reductions
in intrastate access rates, taking into account both the disadvantages to customers of intrastate access rates that exceed
interstate access rates and the disadvantages to customers of increases in rates for local telephone service that may result
from reductions in intrastate access rates.
A. By May 31, 2005, the commission shall ensure that intrastate access rates are equal to interstate access rates established
by the Federal Communications Commission as of January 1, 2003. [2003, c. 101, §1 (NEW).]
B. If achieving the result required under paragraph A would result in an increase of more than 50% in the price of local telephone
service, whether as a result of an increase in local service rates or an increase in universal service fund collections, the
commission shall:
(1) Phase in intrastate access rate reductions through stepped reductions so as to produce as smooth a transition as possible;
and
(2) To the maximum extent possible, keep increases in the price of local telephone service to no more than 50% for each
stepped reduction in the intrastate access rate. [2003, c. 101, §1 (NEW).]
C. If interstate access rates are reduced by the Federal Communications Commission below the rates as of January 1, 2003, the
commission may further require reductions in intrastate access rates beyond what is required under paragraph A, except that,
within any 2-year period, the commission may not require such further access rate reduction if the result will be an increase
of more than 50% in local service rates or an increase of more than 50% in the collection rate for the state universal service
fund. [2003, c. 101, §1 (NEW).]
The commission may adopt rules to implement this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical
rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
[
2003, c. 101, §1 (RPR)
.]
3.Consumer rates. If the commission finds that effective competition in the intrastate interexchange market does not exist, the commission
shall require all persons providing intrastate interexchange service to reduce their intrastate long-distance rates to reflect
net reductions in intrastate access rates ordered by the commission pursuant to subsection 2.
[
1997, c. 259, §1 (NEW)
.]
SECTION HISTORY
1997, c. 259, §1 (NEW).
2003, c. 101, §1 (AMD).
Data for this page extracted on 03/10/2010 10:57:34.