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91_HB0287
LRB9101576JSpc
1 AN ACT to amend the Public Utilities Act by changing
2 Section 13-301.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by
6 changing Section 13-301 as follows:
7 (220 ILCS 5/13-301) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 13-301)
8 (Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2001)
9 Sec. 13-301. Duties of Commission. Consistent with the
10 findings and policy established in paragraph (a) of Section
11 13-102 and paragraph (a) of Section 13-103, and in order to
12 ensure the attainment of such policies, the Commission shall:
13 (a) participate in all federal programs intended to
14 preserve or extend universal telecommunications service,
15 unless such programs would place cost burdens on Illinois
16 customers of telecommunications services in excess of the
17 benefits they would receive through participation, provided,
18 however, the Commission shall not approve or permit the
19 imposition of any surcharge or other fee designed to
20 subsidize or provide a waiver for subscriber line charges;
21 and shall report on such programs together with an assessment
22 of their adequacy and the advisability of participating
23 therein in its annual report to the General Assembly, or more
24 often as necessary;
25 (b) establish a program to monitor the level of
26 telecommunications subscriber connection within each exchange
27 in Illinois, and shall report the results of such monitoring
28 and any actions it has taken or recommends be taken to
29 maintain and increase such levels in its annual report to the
30 General Assembly, or more often if necessary;
31 (c) order all telecommunications carriers offering or
-2- LRB9101576JSpc
1 providing local exchange telecommunications service to
2 propose low-cost or budget service tariffs and any other rate
3 design or pricing mechanisms designed to facilitate customer
4 access to such telecommunications service, and shall after
5 notice and hearing, implement any such proposals which it
6 finds likely to achieve such purpose;
7 (d) investigate the necessity and feasibility of
8 establishing a fund from which telecommunications carriers
9 that offer or provide offering or providing local exchange
10 telecommunications service, whose costs of providing such
11 service exceed the average cost of providing such service in
12 Illinois, could receive revenues intended to mitigate the
13 price impact on customers resulting from the high or rising
14 cost of such service; and shall include the results and
15 findings of such investigation together with any
16 recommendations for legislative action in its first annual
17 report to the General Assembly in 1986;
18 (e) Any telecommunications carrier providing local
19 exchange telecommunications service which offers to its local
20 exchange customers a choice of two or more local exchange
21 telecommunications service offerings shall provide, to any
22 such customer requesting it, once a year without charge, a
23 report describing which local exchange telecommunications
24 service offering would result in the lowest bill for such
25 customer's local exchange service, based on such customer's
26 calling pattern and usage for the previous 6 months. At
27 least once a year, each such carrier shall provide a notice
28 to each of its local exchange telecommunications service
29 customers describing the availability of this report and the
30 specific procedures by which customers may receive it. Such
31 report shall only be available to current and future
32 customers who have received at least 6 months of continuous
33 local exchange service from such carrier.
34 (Source: P.A. 87-445.)
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