LD 1675
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LD 1675 Title Page An Act To Make a Standard Alternative Form of Regulation Available to Rural Tel... Page 2 of 2
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LR 1974
Item 1

 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

 
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §9106 is enacted to read:

 
§9106.__Standard alternative form of regulation for rural

 
telephone companies

 
Notwithstanding section 9103, the commission shall adopt an
alternative form of regulation proposed by a rural telephone
company, as defined in the federal Telecommunications Act of
1996, 47 United States Code, Section 153, if the alternative form
of regulation has a period of not less than 5 years and contains
the following provisions.

 
1.__Retail rates.__The rural telephone company may establish
rates, without the need for commission review and approval, for
any local basic service interexchange service, optional calling
features and other services provided by the rural telephone
company, if the local basic service rates do not exceed the local
basic service rates of exchanges of the largest nonrural
incumbent local exchange carrier, as defined in the federal
Telecommunications Act of 1996, in the State that have basic
service calling areas of a similar size.

 
2.__Access rates.__The rural telephone company shall establish
intrastate access rates that meet the requirements of section
7101-B.

 
3.__Universal service support.__The rural telephone company
may choose either:

 
A.__To not receive support from the state universal service
fund for purposes of meeting its revenue requirement; or

 
B.__To continue to receive the same level of support from
the state universal service fund as the rural telephone
company was receiving at the time of adoption of the
alternative form of regulation.__The level of support is
subject to a percentage adjustment equal to the percentage
of any change in comparable local basic service rates of the
largest nonrural incumbent local exchange carrier.

 
In the case of either paragraph A or B, the rural telephone
company is entitled to receive support that is not related to its
revenue requirement to the same extent as other rural telephone
companies.

 
4.__Exogenous events.__The rural telephone company may
increase its local basic service rates above those of the largest
nonrural incumbent local exchange carrier and receive an increase


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