Senate Bill sb1468

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1468

    By Senator Siplin





    19-950-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Lifeline telecommunication

  3         services; amending s. 364.10, F.S.; requiring

  4         each local exchange telecommunications company

  5         providing Lifeline Assistance services to

  6         submit specified information to the Public

  7         Service Commission and the Office of Public

  8         Counsel; directing that the information be

  9         provided monthly; 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

14  amended to read:

15         364.10  Undue advantage to person or locality

16  prohibited; Lifeline service; monthly reporting.--

17         (1)  A telecommunications company may not make or give

18  any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any

19  person or locality or subject any particular person or

20  locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or

21  disadvantage in any respect whatsoever.

22         (2)  The prohibitions of subsection (1)

23  notwithstanding, a telecommunications company serving as

24  carrier of last resort shall provide a Lifeline Assistance

25  Plan to qualified residential subscribers, as defined in a

26  commission-approved tariff and a preferential rate to eligible

27  facilities as 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

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1468
    19-950-04




 1  to any otherwise eligible customer or potential customer who

 2  meets an income eligibility test at 125 percent or less of the

 3  federal poverty income guidelines for Lifeline customers. The

 4  Such a test for eligibility must augment, rather than replace,

 5  the eligibility standards established by federal law and based

 6  on participation in certain low-income assistance programs.

 7  Each intrastate interexchange telecommunications company

 8  shall, effective September 1, 2003, file a tariff providing at

 9  a minimum the intrastate interexchange telecommunications

10  carrier's current Lifeline benefits and exemptions to Lifeline

11  customers who meet the income eligibility test set forth in

12  this subsection. The Office of Public Counsel shall certify

13  and maintain claims submitted by a customer for eligibility

14  under the income test authorized by this subsection.

15         (b)  Each local exchange telecommunications company

16  subject to this subsection shall provide to each state and

17  federal agency providing benefits to persons eligible for

18  Lifeline service,and to members of the Legislature,

19  applications, brochures, pamphlets, or other materials that

20  contain information concerning the inform such persons of

21  their eligibility criteria for Lifeline, and each state agency

22  providing the such benefits shall furnish the materials to

23  affected persons at the time they apply for benefits.

24         (c)  Any local exchange telecommunications company

25  customer receiving Lifeline benefits shall not be subject to

26  any residential basic local telecommunications service rate

27  increases authorized by s. 364.164 until the local exchange

28  telecommunications company reaches parity as defined in s.

29  364.164(5) or until the customer no longer qualifies for the

30  Lifeline benefits established by this section or s. 364.105,

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1468
    19-950-04




 1  or unless otherwise determined by the commission upon petition

 2  by a local exchange telecommunications company.

 3         (d)  By December 31, 2003, each state agency that

 4  provides benefits to persons eligible for Lifeline service

 5  shall undertake, in cooperation with the Department of

 6  Children and Family Services, the commission, and

 7  telecommunications companies providing Lifeline services, the

 8  development of procedures to promote Lifeline participation.

 9         (e)  The commission shall report to the Governor, the

10  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of

11  Representatives by December 31 each year on the number of

12  customers who are subscribing to Lifeline service and the

13  effectiveness of any procedures to promote participation.

14         (4)  Each local exchange telecommunications company

15  providing Lifeline Assistance services shall prepare a monthly

16  report concerning participation by its customers in the

17  Lifeline Assistance program. The report must detail the number

18  of:

19         1.  Subscribers meeting the income eligibility test.

20         2.  Applications for new Lifeline service received.

21         3.  New Lifeline subscribers enrolled.

22         4.  Subscriber applications rejected by the company and

23  the reasons for each rejection.

24         5.  Subscribers removed from the Lifeline Assistance

25  program and the reasons for their removal.

26  

27  The monthly report shall be sent to the Public Service

28  Commission and the Office of Public Counsel no later than 15

29  days after the last day of the previous month.

30         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1468
    19-950-04




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 2                          SENATE SUMMARY

 3    Provides that each local exchange telecommunications
      company providing Lifeline Assistance services must
 4    submit specified information to the Public Service
      Commission and the Office of Public Counsel. Directs that
 5    the information be provided on a monthly basis.

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