Alaska Administrative Code › Title 3 - Commerce, Community, and Economic Development › Part 7 - Regulatory Commission of Alaska › Chapter 52 - Operation of Public Utilities › Article 3 - Telephone Utilities › 3 AAC 52.260 - Engineering and maintenance

Current through May 31, 2024
(a) In order to
				  maintain compatibility with the national telecommunications network, all
				  telephone plants must be designed, constructed, maintained, and operated in
				  accordance with the provisions outlined in the most current editions of such
				  national industry recognized standards as the
National Electrical
				  Safety Code
published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
				  Engineers, Inc., the
Rural Electrification Administration (REA)
				  Telephone Bulletins
, the
REA Telephone Operations Manual, Bell
				  System Practices, Continental Telephone System Practices, General Telephone
				  Engineering Practices, Northern Electric Practices,
or
Notes
				  on Transmission Engineering
issued by the United States Independent
				  Telephone Association.
(b) Each
				  telephone utility shall provide equipment and facilities designed and
				  engineered in accordance with forecasts based on known conditions of subscriber
				  demand and shall maintain a stock of associated equipment adequate to meet that
				  demand.
(c) Telephone utilities
				  shall furnish and maintain in their service areas the necessary plant,
				  equipment and facilities to provide modern, adequate, sufficient and efficient
				  transmission of communications for any given grade of service between
				  customers. Transmission for a given grade of service must be at adequate volume
				  levels and free of excessive distortion. Levels of noise and cross-talk must
				  not impair communications. The loss objective of trunks must be consistent with
				  the requirements of the nationwide switching plan, and overall transmission
				  losses within each trunk group may not vary by more than plus or minus two
				  decibels.
(d) Telephone utilities
				  may not provide switching service to service lines which do not meet standard
				  technical criteria and shall eliminate nonconforming service lines.
(e) A telephone utility shall design and
				  install facilities to comply with the requirements set out in the
				  3 AAC 53.700 -
				  3 AAC 53.720 (State Telecommunications Modernization
				  Plan) or seek and obtain an extension of time under
				  3 AAC 53.700 to meet those requirements.
(f) Each telephone utility shall adopt and
				  pursue a maintenance program of periodic tests, inspections, and field
				  maintenance to achieve efficient operation of its system so as to permit safe,
				  adequate, and continuous service at all times. The utility shall maintain
				  reasonable records indicating compliance with this rule.
(g) Each utility shall maintain or have
				  access to test facilities enabling it to determine the operating and
				  transmission capabilities of all equipment and facilities, both for routine
				  maintenance and for fault location.
(h) Telephone utilities shall maintain as
				  part of each central office entity a test line providing connection on a
				  dial-up basis to an accurate 1004 hertz milliwatt power source and a quiet
				  termination. In addition, a loop-around test line must be maintained at all
				  central office entities. Central offices not having test lines should have
				  these installed along with any central office addition or change-out, but no
				  later than January 1, 1981.
(i)
				  Each telephone utility shall undertake additions to and modifications of its
				  equipment and facilities as may be required to provide on customer-dialed toll
				  calls from individual line stations a method to automatically identify the
				  calling number for billing purposes. This program must be initiated without
				  unreasonable delay; and it must be completed by January 1, 1982.
(j) Each utility shall maintain current
				  equipment assignment records, cable assignment records, office equipment
				  drawings, office trunking diagrams, and outside plant layout
				  drawings.
(k) Where mechanical or
				  electronic means are used for registering or recording information which will
				  affect a subscriber's bill, that equipment must be in good mechanical and
				  electrical condition, must be accurately read, and must be frequently inspected
				  by the utility to ensure that it is functioning properly.
(l) Each utility shall maintain or have
				  access to the necessary facilities, instruments, and equipment for testing its
				  metering and recording equipment and shall adopt appropriate practices for
				  periodic testing and maintenance to ensure the integrity of its
				  operation.
(m) Upon the request of
				  any subscriber, a utility shall test the billing devices associated with the
				  subscriber's line, if the request is based upon reasonable grounds and the test
				  is not requested by that subscriber more frequently than once each 12 months
				  without clear cause.
Authority:
AS
						42.05.141
AS 42.05.145
AS 42.05.151
AS 42.05.291
AS 42.05.311
AS 42.05.321
AS 42.05.331
AS
						42.05.800