The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court, issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin (our popular subscription service).
TELECOM
Colorado
In a June 7, 2013 tariff filing, CenturyTel sought to implement a Convenience Fee Charge to become effective July 15, 2013. The proposed charge would apply to residential and business customers for one-time payments made with the assistance of a live customer service representative using a debit or credit card or through electronic funds transfer. The Commission has suspended CenturyTel’s filing for 120 days until November 12, 2013, or until it issues a further order.
Utah
The Public Service Commission has amended the certificate of CenturyLink QCC (formerly Qwest Communications Company) to allow it to provide local exchange service in the same manner as other CLECs. The amended certificate allows CenturyLink QCC to immediately provide local service throughout Utah, excluding those local exchanges of less than 5,000 access lines of incumbent telephone corporations with fewer than 30,000 access lines in the state. However, as part of a stipulation, CenturyLink QCC also agreed not to provide competitive local exchange service in Vernal, Utah before April 1, 2015, and in Price, Utah before April 1, 2017.
CenturyLink QCC said it intends to provide a full range of telecommunications services to business and residential customers in the incumbent, CenturyLink exchanges statewide in Utah, consistent with the exchange maps CenturyLink has on file with the Commission. Before its certificate was amended, CenturyLink QCC was certified to provide public telecommunication services anywhere in the State of Utah with the exception of local exchange services.
