ASSEMBLY, No. 2476

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED NOVEMBER 7, 1996

By Assemblymen CHARLES and DeCROCE

An Act concerning the provision of telephone services and amending P.L.1991, c.428.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. Section 4 of P.L.1991, c.428 (C.48:2-21.19) is amended to read as follows:

    4. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.48:2-18, R.S.48:2-21, section 31 of P.L.1962, c.198 (C.48:2-21.2), R.S.48:3-1, or any other law to the contrary, the board shall not regulate, fix or prescribe the rates, tolls, charges, rate structures, terms and conditions of service, rate base, rate of return, and cost of service, of competitive services. The board may require the local exchange telecommunications company or interexchange telecommunications carrier to file and maintain tariffs for competitive telecommunications services.

    b. The board is authorized to determine, after notice and hearing, whether a telecommunications service is a competitive service. In making such a determination, the board shall develop standards of competitive service which, at a minimum, shall include evidence of ease of market entry; presence of other competitors; and the availability of like or substitute services in the relevant geographic area.

    c. The board may determine, by rule, order, or in accordance with the provisions of a plan filed pursuant to subsection a. of section 3 of this act, what reports are necessary to monitor the competitiveness of any telecommunications service.

    d. The board shall have the authority to reclassify any telecommunications service that it has previously found to be competitive if, after notice and hearing, it determines that sufficient competition is no longer present, upon application of the criteria set forth in subsection b. of this section. Upon such a reclassification, subsection a. of this section shall no longer apply and the board may determine such rates for that telecommunications service which it finds to be just and reasonable. The board, however, shall continue to monitor the telecommunications service and, whenever the board shall find that the telecommunications service has again become sufficiently competitive pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the board shall again apply the provisions of subsection a. of this section.

    e. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection a. of this section, the following safeguards shall apply to the offering of any competitive service by a local exchange telecommunications company:

    (1) the local exchange telecommunications company shall unbundle each noncompetitive service which is incorporated in the competitive service and shall make all such noncompetitive services separately available to any customer under tariffed terms and conditions, including price, that are identical to those used by the local exchange telecommunications company in providing its competitive service;

    (2) the rate which a local exchange telecommunications company charges for a competitive service shall exceed the rates charged to others for any noncompetitive services used by the local exchange telecommunications company to provide the competitive service;

    (3) tariffs for competitive services filed with the board shall either be in the public records, or, if the board determines that the rates are proprietary, shall be filed under seal and made available under the terms of an appropriate protective agreement, such as those used in cases before the board; and

    (4) nothing in this act shall limit the authority of the board, pursuant to R.S.48:3-1, to ensure that local exchange telecommunications companies do not make or impose unjust preferences, discriminations, or classifications for noncompetitive services.

    f. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection a. of this section, local exchange telecommunications companies shall be required to provide their telephone subscribers with one out-of-service area telephone directory free of charge. The provision of this service shall be limited to one free out-of-service area telephone directory per subscriber per calendar year.

(cf: P.L.1991, c.428, s.4.)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would require telephone companies to provide their subscribers with one out-of-service area telephone directory free of charge.

Requires telephone companies to provide one out-of-service area telephone directory free of charge.