North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 04 - COMMERCE › Chapter 11 - UTILITIES COMMISSION › Chapter 12 › Section 11 R12-16 - BILL INSERTS FOR TELEPHONE COMPANIES

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Each
				telephone company shall maintain records and accountings adequate to identify
				all costs and expenses reasonably allocable to the preparation, printing and
				distribution (including any incremental mailing, handling, and distribution
				costs) of each bill insert other than bill inserts constituting one or more of
				the classes of advertising described in Rule R12-12(d). Such records and
				accountings, together with copies of the bill insert to which they relate,
				shall be retained by the public utility for a period of at least three years
				from the date on which the bill insert was last disseminated by the public
				utility and shall be subject to inspection by members of the Commission, the
				Commission Staff, and the Public Staff.
(b) In ascertaining reasonable operating
				expenses pursuant to
				G.S.
				62-133, no telephone company shall be
				permitted to recover from its ratepayers any direct expenditure made by such
				utility which is specifically identifiable with the preparation, printing, and
				distribution of bill inserts containing political advertising as defined in
				Rule R12-12 or other nonutility advertising. Nor shall any of the incremental
				or additional mailing, handling, and distribution costs incurred in conjunction
				with the preparation, printing, and distribution of political or nonutility
				bill inserts be charged to the ratepayers of the public utility distributing
				such bill inserts. Such direct and incremental costs are not properly
				includable as a just and reasonable operating expense of a telephone company
				and shall be assigned to a nonoperating (or nonutility) expense account or
				accounts when incurred.
(c) Nothing
				in this rule shall preclude the Commission from examining and determining, on a
				case-by-case basis, the extent to which any portion of the joint mailing,
				handling, and distribution costs incurred by a telephone company in conjunction
				with the preparation, printing, and distribution of political or nonutility
				bill inserts should be excluded as an operating expense of the utility
				disseminating such bill inserts. Nor shall the Commission be precluded from
				determining, on a case-by-case basis, the extent to which any portion of the
				costs incurred in conjunction with the preparation, printing, and distribution
				of bill inserts of a type other than that which may be defined as political or
				nonutility in nature may have exceeded a reasonable level or amount for
				rate-making purposes.
(d) Bill
				inserts containing either political advertisements as defined by Rule R12-12 or
				other nonutility advertisements shall be accompanied by the following statement
				or a statement substantially to the following effect:
THIS MESSAGE IS NOT PAID FOR BY THE CUSTOMERS OF (the
				  telephone company distributing the bill insert).
This statement shall be so located and of such size so as to
				  be readily visible to those individuals who may be exposed to the bill
				  insert.
NCUC Docket No. M-100,
				  Sub 80, 10/14/80; 10/31/80.