| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to annual reports on the |
| 3 | telecommunications industry; amending s. 364.386, F.S.; |
| 4 | revising the due date of a report to the Legislature by |
| 5 | the Florida Public Service Commission on industry |
| 6 | competition; providing for the commission to request data |
| 7 | from providers of local exchange telecommunications |
| 8 | services; requiring such providers to file certain |
| 9 | information with the commission; providing an effective |
| 10 | date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Section 364.386, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 15 | to read: |
| 16 | 364.386 Reports to the Legislature.-- |
| 17 | (1)(a) The commission shall submit to the President of the |
| 18 | Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the |
| 19 | majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the House of |
| 20 | Representatives, on July 1, 2008 December 1, 1996, and on an |
| 21 | annual basis thereafter, a report on the status of competition |
| 22 | in the telecommunications industry and a detailed exposition of |
| 23 | the following: |
| 24 | 1.(a) The overall impact of local exchange |
| 25 | telecommunications competition on the continued availability of |
| 26 | universal service. |
| 27 | 2.(b) The ability of competitive providers to make |
| 28 | functionally equivalent local exchange services available to |
| 29 | both residential and business customers at competitive rates, |
| 30 | terms, and conditions. |
| 31 | 3.(c) The ability of consumers to obtain functionally |
| 32 | equivalent services at comparable rates, terms, and conditions. |
| 33 | 4.(d) The overall impact of price regulation on the |
| 34 | maintenance of reasonably affordable and reliable high-quality |
| 35 | telecommunications services. |
| 36 | 5.(e) What additional services, if any, should be included |
| 37 | in the definition of basic local telecommunications services, |
| 38 | taking into account advances in technology and market demand. |
| 39 | 6.(f) Any other information and recommendations which may |
| 40 | be in the public interest. |
| 41 | (b) The commission shall make an annual request to |
| 42 | providers of local exchange telecommunications services by March |
| 43 | 1, 2008, and on or before March 1 of each year thereafter, for |
| 44 | the data it requires to complete the report. |
| 45 | (2) In lieu of any other information required by the |
| 46 | commission to complete the report under subsection (1), a |
| 47 | provider of local exchange telecommunications services shall |
| 48 | file the following with the commission on or before April 15, |
| 49 | 2008, and on or before April 15 each year thereafter: |
| 50 | (a) A copy of the FCC Form 477 filed with the Federal |
| 51 | Communications Commission, which must identify Florida-specific |
| 52 | access line data; or |
| 53 | (b) A response to the annual data request of the |
| 54 | commission issued pursuant to paragraph (1)(b). |
| 55 | (3)(2) The Office of Public Counsel is also directed to |
| 56 | submit a report on competition in the telecommunications |
| 57 | industry and on how the price regulation provisions of s. |
| 58 | 364.051 have benefited the ratepayers and consumers of this |
| 59 | state and any other information and recommendations which may be |
| 60 | in the public interest. |
| 61 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |