reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MT Code § 69-3-842 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-842. Universal service fund established -- purpose

  69-3-842. Universal service fund established -- purpose. (1) Upon petition for good cause by a telecommunications carrier or the consumer counsel or on the commission's own motion, the commission shall investigate the need for a fund to assist eligible telecommunications carriers in providing affordable telecommunications services in high-cost areas. This investigation must take into account the evolving nature of universal service as well as changes in federal and state telecommunications support systems, including but not limited to universal service funds and access reform.   (2) If the commission determines that a state universal service fund is necessary to promote the policies in 69-3-841 and is consistent with the public interest, the commission shall establish a state universal service fund. The fund must provide support for the following services:   (a) voice grade access to the public switched network, including some usage;   (b) dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF or "touch tone") signaling or its equivalent;   (c) single-party service;   (d) access to emergency services, including access to 9-1-1, where available, and access to enhanced 9-1-1 when requested by a telecommunications carrier's local community and when the telecommunications carrier has technical capacity to provide it;   (e) access to operator services;   (f) access to interexchange services; and   (g) access to directory assistance.   (3) The fund must support only access to the services listed in subsections (2)(d) through (2)(g) and not support the services themselves.   (4) The fund must be administered to ensure that its operation is competitively and technologically neutral.   (5) For the purposes of this section, "interexchange services" means telecommunications long-distance services.   History: En. Sec. 12, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 430, L. 2001.
MT Code § 69-3-843 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-843. Fund administrator -- commission rulemaking authority

  69-3-843. Fund administrator -- commission rulemaking authority. (1) A fiscal agent and daily administrator must be selected by the commission to receive and distribute funds under 69-3-841, 69-3-842, 69-3-844, 69-3-845, and this section.   (2) The fiscal agent must be selected by the commission based upon a competitive bidding process after an opportunity for public comment on the specific qualifications required of the fiscal agent. A telecommunications carrier is not eligible to be the fiscal agent. The duties of the fiscal agent must be determined by a contract consistent with 69-3-841, 69-3-842, 69-3-844, 69-3-845, and this section. The contract term of the fiscal agent may not be for a period greater than 3 years.   (3) The commission may adopt rules for the administration of the fund.   History: En. Sec. 13, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 187, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 430, L. 2001.
MT Code § 69-3-844 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-844. Contributions to fund

  69-3-844. Contributions to fund. (1) The fiscal agent shall collect contributions from all telecommunications carriers on a quarterly basis, based on a January 1 to December 31 calendar year. Those contributions must be determined on a percentage of total intrastate retail revenue for all telecommunications carriers registered in the state. If the high-cost mechanisms of the federal universal service program are eliminated, contributions must be determined on a percentage of total intrastate and interstate retail revenue for all telecommunications carriers registered in the state.   (2) The commission shall adopt rules to govern collection of the contributions required by this section, as well as rules allowing the fiscal agent and daily administrator to assess late fees and interest on delinquent payments from telecommunications carriers. The fiscal agent is specifically authorized to enforce the contribution requirements of this section through suit in the district courts of Montana, and the prevailing party in an action is entitled to the recovery of costs and attorney fees incurred in that action.   (3) Any funds received by an eligible telecommunications carrier from the state high-cost fund must be used for the provision, maintenance, and upgrading of facilities and services for which the support is intended.   (4) Any reduction in telecommunications carrier access expenses because of the removal of implicit subsidies inherent in telecommunications carrier access rates must be passed through to Montana end-user customer retail rates.   History: En. Sec. 14, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 187, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 430, L. 2001.
MT Code § 69-3-845 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-845. Payments from fund -- costs

  69-3-845. Payments from fund -- costs. (1) Payments from the fund must be made from collected contributions by the fiscal agent to qualifying eligible telecommunications carriers, on a quarterly basis, pursuant to rules adopted by the commission.   (2) Only eligible telecommunications carriers that offer the telecommunications services described in 69-3-842(2) to all customers in a designated support area and that advertise the availability of the telecommunications services and the charges for the telecommunications services using media of general distribution may receive support from the fund for the designated support area.   (3) An eligible telecommunications carrier providing telecommunications services through resale of another telecommunications carrier's telecommunications services or facilities may not receive support for those telecommunications services or facilities if the rates charged to an eligible telecommunications carrier by the other telecommunications carrier have been reduced by a contribution from universal service funds under this section.   (4) Costs of administering the fund must be paid from the fund.   History: En. Sec. 15, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 187, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 430, L. 2001.
MT Code § 69-3-846 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-846. Discounts for schools, libraries, and health care providers

  69-3-846. Discounts for schools, libraries, and health care providers. The commission is authorized to establish intrastate discounts to schools, libraries, and health care providers and to perform administrative functions necessary as a condition of federal universal service support if the discounts are recovered through the federal universal service fund.   History: En. Sec. 16, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-847 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-847. Wholesale pricing standards

  69-3-847. Wholesale pricing standards. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), if the commission is requested by a telecommunications carrier to establish wholesale prices for services provided by a telecommunications carrier, the commission may not establish a wholesale price using a default proxy discount value to be applied to the applicable retail price. The commission shall establish wholesale prices using company-specific costs.   (2) This section does not apply to the prices, terms, and conditions of a final or interim arbitrated interconnection agreement, arbitration decision, or appeal from an agreement or decision if the request for arbitration was filed on or before March 1, 1997.   History: En. Sec. 17, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-848 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-848. Pricing of individual network elements

  69-3-848. Pricing of individual network elements. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), if the commission is requested by a telecommunications carrier to establish the prices of the individual network elements used to provide telecommunications services, the commission shall set those prices at a just and reasonable level sufficient to recover the actual cost of providing those elements, including:   (a) a reasonable share of the joint and common costs so that the telecommunications carrier has a reasonable opportunity to recover these costs;   (b) depreciation costs that are based upon forward-looking asset lives consistent with asset lives of other telecommunications carriers and that reflect an amortization of any underdepreciated investment;   (c) a reasonable share of the costs associated with fill factors, recognizing spare capacity required to fulfill eligible telecommunications carrier responsibilities; and   (d) a fair return on investments.   (2) The actual cost of providing the elements included in subsections (1)(a) through (1)(d) must be determined without reference to a rate-of-return or other rate-based proceeding.   (3) If a telecommunications carrier uses average prices for services to end users without regard to the customer's location, the commission shall similarly establish an average cost and wholesale price for each individual network element sold to other telecommunications carriers. The commission may depart from average pricing for network elements only to the extent that the retail prices to end users of a telecommunications carrier have departed from average pricing.   (4) This section does not apply to the prices, terms, and conditions of a final or interim arbitrated interconnection agreement, arbitration decision, or appeal from an agreement or decision if the request for arbitration was filed on or before March 1, 1997.   History: En. Sec. 18, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-849 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-849. Prohibited subsidies

  69-3-849. Prohibited subsidies. The commission may not subsidize the price of any telecommunications service, including wholesale prices or the prices of individual network elements, by reducing the prices to reflect an allocation or credit of revenue from the operations of an affiliated company of the carrier of telecommunications services, including a publishing affiliate.   History: En. Sec. 19, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-850 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-850. through 69-3-855 reserved

  69-3-850 through 69-3-855 reserved.
MT Code § 69-3-856 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-856. Repealed

  69-3-856. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 76, L. 2003.   History: En. Sec. 21, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-857 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-857. Repealed

  69-3-857. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 76, L. 2003.   History: En. Sec. 22, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-858 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-858. Repealed

  69-3-858. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 76, L. 2003.   History: En. Sec. 23, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-859 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-859. Repealed

  69-3-859. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 76, L. 2003.   History: En. Sec. 24, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 17, Sp. L. August 2002.
MT Code § 69-3-860 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-860. Repealed

  69-3-860. Repealed. Sec. 40, Ch. 426, L. 1999.   History: En. Sec. 25, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-861 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-861. Repealed

  69-3-861. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 76, L. 2003.   History: En. Sec. 26, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 39, Ch. 426, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 17, Sp. L. August 2002.
MT Code § 69-3-862 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-862. Repealed

  69-3-862. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 76, L. 2003.   History: En. Sec. 27, Ch. 349, L. 1997.
MT Code § 69-3-863 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-863. through 69-3-869 reserved

  69-3-863 through 69-3-869 reserved.
MT Code § 69-3-870 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act|69-3-870. Performance assurance state special revenue account -- statutory appropriation

  69-3-870. Performance assurance state special revenue account -- statutory appropriation. (1) There is a performance assurance state special revenue account in the state special revenue fund. The account must be used for the deposit of payments to the state made by a telecommunications carrier pursuant to the terms of a performance assurance plan.   (2) Money in the performance assurance state special revenue account is statutorily appropriated, as provided in 17-7-502, and may be expended by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities to administer, audit, and oversee the performance assurance plan, pursuant to the terms of the plan.   (3) For purposes of this section, a "performance assurance plan" means a commission-approved, self-executing remedy plan to ensure that a telecommunications carrier provides adequate wholesale service to competitors after the carrier gains entry into the interlocal access and transport area long-distance market in its region pursuant to 47 U.S.C. 271.   History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 43, L. 2003.
MT Code § 69-3-901 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-901. Definitions

  69-3-901. Definitions. As used in this part, the following definitions apply:   (1) "Commission" means the Montana public service commission.   (2) "Rate" means a charge by a small telecommunications provider to a subscriber for the initiation or continued provision of regulated telecommunications service. The term includes but is not limited to charges for installations, local service, toll service, directory assistance, and late payment.   (3) "Rate increase" means an increase in the rates for regulated telecommunications services provided by a small telecommunications provider and the creation of new rates.   (4) "Regulated telecommunications service" is as defined in 69-3-803.   (5) "Small telecommunications provider" means a person, partnership, corporation, or other entity providing regulated telecommunications service to less than 12,000 subscribers in Montana. Rural telephone cooperatives organized under Title 35, chapter 18, are not small telecommunications providers.   (6) "Subscriber" means a person, partnership, corporation, or other entity acquiring regulated telecommunications service from a small telecommunications provider. There is one subscriber for each billed line of a small telecommunications provider.   History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 254, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 154, L. 1999.
MT Code § 69-3-902 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-902. Rate regulation of small telecommunications provider

  69-3-902. Rate regulation of small telecommunications provider. Except as provided in this part, small telecommunications providers are not subject to commission rate regulation provided in parts 3 and 8 of this chapter.   History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 254, L. 1987.
MT Code § 69-3-903 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-903. Notice of rate increase or decrease

  69-3-903. Notice of rate increase or decrease. (1) At least 60 days before the effective date of any rate increase or decrease proposed by a small telecommunications provider, the small telecommunications provider shall mail notice of the proposed rate increase or decrease to each affected subscriber, the commission, and the Montana consumer counsel.   (2) Notice to the commission and consumer counsel must include:   (a) a summary of the justification for the proposed rate increase;   (b) a list of the number of affected subscribers in each category of rates proposed to be increased or decreased; and   (c) if requested by the commission, a list of the names of the affected subscribers.   (3) The notice to affected subscribers may be included with regular subscriber billings and must include:   (a) a schedule of the proposed rates;   (b) the effective date of the proposed rates; and   (c) a description of the petition procedure in 69-3-906 for seeking commission review and determination of the proposed rates. If the small telecommunications provider publishes the petition procedure in a telephone directory, a reference to the location of the procedure in the directory is adequate notice.   History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 254, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 154, L. 1999.
MT Code § 69-3-904 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-904. Commission review and determination of rate increases or decreases

  69-3-904. Commission review and determination of rate increases or decreases. (1) When a small telecommunications provider proposes a rate increase or decrease, the commission shall review and determine the rates pursuant to the applicable procedures in this chapter if:   (a) the affected subscribers have successfully petitioned for commission review as described in 69-3-906;   (b) the small telecommunications provider requests the commission to review and determine the rates; or   (c) by the 60th day following notice of the proposed increase or decrease, the consumer counsel petitions the commission to review and determine the rates.   (2) An order of the commission issued under this section establishes the effective rate for the regulated telecommunications services covered by the order. Rates established by commission order may not be increased for a period of 6 months, except as ordered by the commission.   (3) The order of the commission is subject to review pursuant to part 4 of this chapter.   History: En. Sec. 4, Ch. 254, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 154, L. 1999.
MT Code § 69-3-905 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-905. Investigations by commission

  69-3-905. Investigations by commission. Nothing in this part limits the authority of the commission under 69-3-324 to investigate at any time and on its own motion the existing rates of a small telecommunications provider.   History: En. Sec. 5, Ch. 254, L. 1987.
MT Code § 69-3-906 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-906. Petition for review of proposed rate increase or decrease

  69-3-906. Petition for review of proposed rate increase or decrease. Subscribers affected by a proposed rate increase or decrease for regulated telecommunications services by a small telecommunications provider may petition the commission to review and determine the rates. The petition must identify the proposed rate increase or decrease and must be in writing and signed by a subscriber or the authorized person if the subscriber is a business account.   History: En. Sec. 6, Ch. 254, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 154, L. 1999.
MT Code § 69-3-907 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-907. Proposed increase or decrease effective unless requisite petitions received by commission

  69-3-907. Proposed increase or decrease effective unless requisite petitions received by commission. (1) If by the 60th day following notice to subscribers of a proposed rate increase or decrease the commission has not received petitions containing signatures from at least 10% of the affected subscribers in any rate category or a petition for review from the consumer counsel, the commission shall certify this fact to the small telecommunications provider and the proposed rate increase or decrease becomes effective as published in the notice of proposed increase or decrease.   (2) If by the 60th day following notice to subscribers of a proposed rate increase or decrease the commission has received petitions containing signatures from 10% or more of the affected subscribers in any rate category or a petition for review from the consumer counsel, the commission shall notify the small telecommunications provider of this fact and shall indicate that the proposed rate increase or decrease in that rate category will not take effect as noticed. The commission shall then review and determine the rates in that category pursuant to 69-3-904.   (3) In the case of a proposed increase or decrease in rates for access services provided to interexchange carriers, a valid petition for commission review and determination of rates consists of a signature of an authorized representative of any interexchange carrier that would be affected by the access rates that are proposed to be increased or decreased.   History: En. Sec. 7, Ch. 254, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 154, L. 1999.
MT Code § 69-3-908 (2021)
2021 Montana Code Annotated|Title 69. Public Utilities and Carriers|Chapter 3. Regulation of Utilities|Part 9. Rate Regulation of Small Telecommunications Providers|69-3-908. and 69-3-909 reserved

  69-3-908 and 69-3-909 reserved.