SENATE, No. 387

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Senator MacINNES

 

 

An Act concerning touch-tone service charges and supplementing chapter 2 of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.

 

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

 

    1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, a local exchange telecommunications company, as defined pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.428 (C.48:2-21.17), shall not include in its tariff schedule a charge for touch-tone service or similar service. The Board of Public Utilities may adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill provides that notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, a local exchange telecommunications company, as defined pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.428 (C.48:2-21.17), shall not include in its tariff schedule a charge for touch-tone service or similar service. The bill further provides that the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) may adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    Local exchange telecommunications companies charge business customers $1.99 per month and residential customers $0.99 per month for touch-tone service as an item within the company's tariff schedule, as approved by the BPU. Currently, the BPU allows this surcharge so that these telecommunications companies can offset the initial cost of purchasing and installing telecommunications equipment to accommodate touch-tone service; however, since touch-tone telephones have been the norm for some time, this surcharge is no longer justified.

 

Prohibits local exchange telecommunications companies from assessing touch-tone service or similar service charges.