HB 1443

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to Lifeline telecommunication services;
3	amending s. 364.10, F.S.; requiring each local exchange
4	telecommunications company providing Lifeline Assistance
5	services to submit certain eligibility criteria
6	information to the Legislature; requiring such companies
7	to submit specified information each month to the Public
8	Service Commission and the Office of Public Counsel;
9	providing an effective date.
10
11	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13	Section 1.  Section 364.10, Florida Statutes, is amended to
14	read:
15	364.10  Undue advantage to person or locality prohibited;
16	Lifeline service; monthly reporting.--
17	(1)  A telecommunications company may not make or give any
18	undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any person or
19	locality or subject any particular person or locality to any
20	undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage in any respect
21	whatsoever.
22	(2)  The prohibitions of subsection (1) notwithstanding, a
23	telecommunications company serving as carrier of last resort
24	shall provide a Lifeline Assistance Plan to qualified
25	residential subscribers, as defined in a commission-approved
26	tariff and a preferential rate to eligible facilities as
27	provided for in part II.
28	(3)(a)  Effective September 1, 2003, any local exchange
29	telecommunications company authorized by the commission to
30	reduce its switched network access rate under pursuant to s.
31	364.164 shall have tariffed and shall provide Lifeline service
32	to any otherwise eligible customer or potential customer who
33	meets an income eligibility test at 125 percent or less of the
34	federal poverty income guidelines for Lifeline customers. The
35	Such a test for eligibility must augment, rather than replace,
36	the eligibility standards established by federal law and based
37	on participation in certain low-income assistance programs. Each
38	intrastate interexchange telecommunications company shall,
39	effective September 1, 2003, file a tariff providing at a
40	minimum the intrastate interexchange telecommunications
41	carrier's current Lifeline benefits and exemptions to Lifeline
42	customers who meet the income eligibility test set forth in this
43	subsection. The Office of Public Counsel shall certify and
44	maintain claims submitted by a customer for eligibility under
45	the income test authorized by this subsection.
46	(b)  Each local exchange telecommunications company subject
47	to this subsection shall provide to each state and federal
48	agency providing benefits to persons eligible for Lifeline
49	service, and to members of the Legislature, applications,
50	brochures, pamphlets, or other materials that contain
51	information concerning the inform such persons of their
52	eligibility criteria for Lifeline, and each state agency
53	providing the such benefits shall furnish the materials to
54	affected persons at the time they apply for benefits.
55	(c)  Any local exchange telecommunications company customer
56	receiving Lifeline benefits shall not be subject to any
57	residential basic local telecommunications service rate
58	increases authorized by s. 364.164 until the local exchange
59	telecommunications company reaches parity as defined in s.
60	364.164(5) or until the customer no longer qualifies for the
61	Lifeline benefits established by this section or s. 364.105, or
62	unless otherwise determined by the commission upon petition by a
63	local exchange telecommunications company.
64	(d)  By December 31, 2003, each state agency that provides
65	benefits to persons eligible for Lifeline service shall
66	undertake, in cooperation with the Department of Children and
67	Family Services, the commission, and telecommunications
68	companies providing Lifeline services, the development of
69	procedures to promote Lifeline participation.
70	(e)  The commission shall report to the Governor, the
71	President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
72	Representatives by December 31 each year on the number of
73	customers who are subscribing to Lifeline service and the
74	effectiveness of any procedures to promote participation.
75	(4)  Each local exchange telecommunications company
76	providing Lifeline Assistance services shall prepare a monthly
77	report concerning participation by its customers in the Lifeline
78	Assistance program. The report must detail the number of:
79	(a)  Subscribers meeting the income eligibility test.
80	(b)  Applications for new Lifeline service received.
81	(c)  New Lifeline subscribers enrolled.
82	(d)  Subscriber applications rejected by the company and
83	the reasons for each rejection.
84	(e)  Subscribers removed from the Lifeline Assistance
85	program and the reasons for their removal.
86
87	The monthly report shall be sent to the Public Service
88	Commission and the Office of Public Counsel no later than 15
89	days after the last day of the previous month.
90	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.