Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4901:1 - Utilities › Chapter 4901:1-6 - Retail Telecommunication Services › Section 4901:1-6-19 - Lifeline requirements

Current through all regulations passed
			 and filed through July 1, 2024
[Comment: For dates of references to a
				section of either the United States Code or a regulation in the code of federal
				regulations, see rule
				4901:1-6-02 of the
				Administrative Code.]
(A)
								An incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) that is an
			 eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC) under
			 47 C.F.R.
			 54.201 shall implement lifeline service
			 consistent with section
			 4927.13 of the Revised Code and
			 47 C.F.R.
			 54.400, et seq., as applicable, throughout
			 the ILEC ETC's traditional service area for its eligible residential
			 customers.
(B)
								An ILEC ETC's lifeline service shall provide for a
			 waiver of the federal universal service fund end user charge and; a waiver of
			 the telephone company's service deposit requirement.
(C)
								Commission staff
			 shall, with the assistance of the office of the consumers' counsel, work with
			 the advisory board established by division (A)(3)(a) of section
			 4927.13 of the Revised Code to
			 reach consensus on the organization of the board and all activities relating to
			 the promotion of, marketing of, and outreach regarding lifeline service.
			 However, where consensus is not possible, the commission's staff shall make the
			 final determination. Decisions on the organization of the board and decisions
			 of the advisory board including decisions on how the lifeline marketing,
			 promotion, and outreach activities are implemented are subject to commission
			 review. Every large ILEC shall work with the advisory board to reach consensus,
			 where possible, regarding an appropriate lifeline budget for promoting lifeline
			 and promoting outreach and regarding how the budget will be
			 spent.
(D)
								To the extent that an ILEC ETC is the only service
			 provider in a particular exchange, the ILEC ETC where possible, may provide
			 automatic enrollment at its election. ILEC ETCs electing to enroll subscribers
			 via automatic enrollment shall take all necessary steps to ensure that there is
			 no duplication of lifeline service for a specific subscriber.
(E)
								The customer
			 billing surcharge authorized by division (D) of section
			 4927.13 of the Revised Code may
			 be established through one of the following means:
(1)
									An ILEC ETC that
			 chooses to establish a customer billing surcharge to nonlifeline customers, to
			 recover lifeline service discounts and expenses identified in this paragraph
			 shall file a thirty-day application for tariff amendment (ATA). Such
			 application may request recovery of lifeline service discounts that are not
			 recovered through federal or state funding such as federal universal service
			 fund end user charges, service connection charges, blocking of 900/976,
			 recurring discount maximizing the contribution of federally available
			 assistance, and recurring retail price differences between the frozen lifeline
			 service rate and residential BLES rates, as well as lifeline service expenses
			 that are not recovered through federal or state funding such as administrative
			 expenses for the sole purpose of verifying the eligibility and enrolling of
			 lifeline customers. An applicant must provide documentation to support its
			 proposed surcharge and its compliance with this rule. Absent suspension or
			 other commission action, the application shall be deemed approved and become
			 effective on the thirty-first day or later date if requested by the
			 company.
(2)
									An ILEC ETC requesting recovery of any expenses not
			 specified in paragraph (F)(1) of this rule shall file an application with the
			 commission, using the most up-to-date telecommunications filing form, under the
			 TP-UNC case purpose code. An applicant must provide documentation to support
			 its proposed customer billing surcharge and its compliance with this rule
			 including further support of its request for recovery of any expenses not
			 specified in paragraph (F)(1) of this rule with a detailed supporting
			 memorandum. Absent suspension or commission action, the application shall be
			 deemed approved and become effective on the one hundred twenty-first day or
			 later date if requested by the company.