Opinion ID: 894901
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: TUSF Surcharge

Text: Partially in response to the effects of incentive regulation, the Legislature substantially amended the universal service subchapter of PURA in 1997, see Act of May 8, 1997, 75th Leg., R.S., ch. 166 § 1, 1997 Tex. Gen. Laws 850, directing the PUC to adopt and enforce rules . . . to establish a universal service fund that is funded by a statewide uniform charge payable by each telecommunications provider that has access to the customer base. TEX. UTIL.CODE §§ 56.021, 56.022(a). The PUC promulgated a rule allowing providers to recover their portion of the TUSF from retail customers via a Texas Universal Service surcharge, assessed as a percentage of the customer's bill, excluding Lifeline and Link Up services. 16 TEX. ADMIN. CODE § 26.420(f)(6). The TUSF plan includes programs that, in conjunction with the Federal Universal Service Fund, assist telecommunications providers in providing basic local services at reasonable rates in high cost rural areas. Pub. Util. Comm'n of Tex., Scope of Competition in Telecommunications Markets of Texas at 41 (Jan.2007). The PUC approved SWBT's application to add the TUSF surcharge, and SWBT has been collecting it since 1999. D