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H0550......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS - Amends existing law relating to the regulation of
telecommunications to delete language providing reference to the Federal
Communications Commission's implementation date of a new mechanism for
determining high cost support for nonrural carriers of telephone service
for regulation purposes of the Public Utilities Commission.
02/10 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/11 Rpt prt - to St Aff
02/23 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/24 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
02/25 3rd rdg - PASSED - 60-0-10
AYES -- Barraclough, Barrett, Bell, Bieter, Black, Boe, Bruneel,
Campbell, Cheirrett, Clark, Crow, Cuddy, Deal, Denney, Ellsworth,
Field(13), Field(20), Gagner, Geddes, Hadley, Hammond, Hansen(23),
Henbest, Hornbeck, Jaquet, Judd, Kempton, Kendell, Kunz, Lake,
Linford, Loertscher, Mader, Marley, McKague, Meyer, Montgomery,
Mortensen, Moss, Moyle, Pearce, Pischner, Pomeroy, Reynolds,
Ridinger, Ringo, Robison, Sali, Schaefer, Sellman, Shepherd, Smylie,
Stevenson, Stoicheff, Stone, Taylor, Tilman, Wheeler, Wood,
Zimmermann
NAYS -- None
Absent and excused -- Alltus, Callister, Chase, Gould, Hansen(29),
Jones, Kellogg, Smith, Trail(Miller), Mr Speaker
Floor Sponsor - Kunz
Title apvd - to Senate
02/28 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to St Aff
03/07 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/08 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/28 3rd rdg - PASSED - 35-0-0
AYES -- Andreason, Boatright, Branch, Bunderson, Burtenshaw, Cameron,
Crow, Danielson, Darrington, Davis, Deide, Dunklin, Frasure, Geddes,
Hawkins, Ingram, Ipsen, Keough, King-Barrutia, Lee, McLaughlin, Noh,
Parry, Richardson, Riggs, Risch, Sandy, Schroeder, Sorensen, Stegner,
Stennett, Thorne, Wheeler, Whitworth, Williams
NAYS -- None
Absent and excused -- None
Floor Sponsor - Danielson
Title apvd - to House
03/29 To enrol
03/30 Rpt enrol - Sp signed - Pres signed
03/31 To Governor
04/03 Governor signed
Session Law Chapter 158
Effective: 04/03/00
H0550
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2000
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 550
BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
1 AN ACT
2 RELATING TO REGULATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS; AMENDING SECTION 62-610F, IDAHO
3 CODE, TO DELETE LANGUAGE PROVIDING REFERENCE TO THE FEDERAL
4 COMMUNICATION'S COMMISSION IMPLEMENTATION DATE OF A NEW MECHANISM FOR
5 DETERMINING HIGH-COST SUPPORT FOR NONRURAL CARRIERS; AND DECLARING AN
6 EMERGENCY.
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
8 SECTION 1. That Section 62-610F, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
9 amended to read as follows:
10 62-610F. HIGH-COST SUPPORT -- ADMINISTRATION -- TRANSITION. (1) No later
11 than six (6) months after the federal communications commission's implementa-
12 tion date of a new mechanism for determining high-cost support for nonrural
13 carriers, or December 31, 2000, whichever occurs first, tThe commission shall
14 establish a universal service fund to enable eligible telecommunications car-
15 riers to make universal service widely available to all persons within the
16 state of Idaho at reasonable rates. Eligible telecommunication carriers
17 receiving financial support shall use that support only for the provision,
18 maintenance and upgrading of services and facilities for which the support is
19 intended.
20 (2) The commission shall initiate a proceeding to determine and adopt the
21 appropriate methodology and mechanisms to collect and distribute financial
22 assistance which are specific, predictable and sufficient in conjunction with
23 federal universal service support mechanisms to preserve and advance universal
24 service within the state of Idaho. Revenue for the fund shall be collected
25 through a uniform universal service fund surcharge as calculated by the com-
26 mission. The surcharge shall be imposed on end users of all retail telecommu-
27 nication services originating and terminating within the state of Idaho and
28 collected by the telecommunications carrier providing telecommunication ser-
29 vices to such end user. Disbursements from the fund shall be used to defray
30 the costs, as determined by the commission, of providing universal service to
31 customers within a geographic support area. Those costs shall be calculated
32 using a forward-looking cost methodology. When providing disbursements from
33 the fund, the commission shall take such actions as may be necessary to pre-
34 vent redundant cost recovery by recipients of such funds including the reduc-
35 tion of access charges subject to title 61 or 62, Idaho Code.
36 (3) The commission shall establish procedures to administer the universal
37 service fund and shall contract with a neutral third party for administration
38 of the fund. The administrator shall perform the duties required by the com-
39 mission including data gathering, collecting the surcharge revenues, disburs-
40 ing funds, and notifying the commission of any fund violations.
41 (4) The commission shall develop procedures and provide for a transition
42 period to begin no earlier than January 1, 2001, for rural telephone companies
43 to replace funding available pursuant to section 62-610, Idaho Code, with the
2
1 funding mechanism established pursuant to this section for the support of uni-
2 versal service.
3 SECTION 2. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby
4 declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after its
5 passage and approval.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS09873
This amendment to Idaho Code Section 62-61OF removes
the deadline for implementing a new state Universal
Service Fund (USP) for high-cost non-rural
telecommunication carriers. When the present deadline
was added to this section in 1999, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) was expected to issue
its new federal USF mechanism no later than July 1,
1999. However, the FCC did not publish its new USF
mechanism until November 2, 1999. Although the Idaho
Public Utilities Commission has initiated the necessary
proceedings to adopt a new state USF, the proceedings
will not be completed until after the date currently
prescribed by the statute.
FISCAL NOTE
There will be no fiscal impact to the general fund.
CONTACT: Skip Smyser
(208) 342-0777
Elizabeth Criner
(208) 385-8692
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/ FISCAL NOTE H 550