Bill Text: TX SB494 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the sources of funding for the universal service fund; authorizing a change in fees.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-13 - Referred to Business & Commerce [SB494 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB494-Introduced.html
| 83R6195 JJT-D | ||
| By: Carona | S.B. No. 494 | |
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| relating to the sources of funding for the universal service fund; | ||
| authorizing a change in fees. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 56.021, Utilities Code, is amended to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 56.021. UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND ESTABLISHED. (a) The | ||
| commission shall adopt and enforce rules requiring local exchange | ||
| companies to establish a universal service fund. | ||
| (b) The commission shall evaluate and consider the | ||
| implementation of various funding methods to ensure that the | ||
| universal service fund has at all times the resources necessary to | ||
| meet the public purposes of the fund. The commission must consider | ||
| the feasibility and adequacy of imposing a fee on each local | ||
| exchange access line or equivalent. The commission must ensure | ||
| that the funding method implemented is competitively neutral and | ||
| neutral as to communications technology. | ||
| (c) The public purposes of the universal service fund are | ||
| to: | ||
| (1) assist telecommunications providers in providing | ||
| basic local telecommunications service at reasonable rates in high | ||
| cost rural areas under two plans: | ||
| (A) the Texas High Cost Universal Service Plan | ||
| (16 T.A.C. Section 26.403); and | ||
| (B) the Small and Rural Incumbent Local Exchange | ||
| Company Universal Service Plan (16 T.A.C. Section 26.404); | ||
| (2) reimburse the telecommunications carrier that | ||
| provides the statewide telecommunications relay access service | ||
| under Subchapter D; | ||
| (3) finance the specialized telecommunications | ||
| assistance program established under Subchapter E; | ||
| (4) reimburse the department, the Texas Commission for | ||
| the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the commission for costs incurred | ||
| in implementing this chapter and Chapter 57; | ||
| (5) reimburse a telecommunications carrier providing | ||
| lifeline service as provided by 47 C.F.R. Part 54, Subpart E, as | ||
| amended; | ||
| (6) finance the implementation and administration of | ||
| an integrated eligibility process created under Section 17.007 for | ||
| customer service discounts relating to telecommunications | ||
| services, including outreach expenses the commission determines | ||
| are reasonable and necessary; | ||
| (7) reimburse a designated provider under Subchapter | ||
| F; | ||
| (8) reimburse a successor utility under Subchapter G; | ||
| and | ||
| (9) finance the program established under Subchapter | ||
| H. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
