The Florida Senate

364.162  Negotiated prices for interconnection and for the resale of services and facilities; commission rate setting.--

(1)  Any party who, on July 1, 1995, has an application on file with the commission to become an alternative local exchange telecommunications company shall have until August 31, 1995, to negotiate with a local exchange telecommunications company mutually acceptable prices, terms, and conditions of interconnection and for the resale of services and facilities.

(2)  If a negotiated price is not established by August 31, 1995, either party may petition the commission to establish nondiscriminatory rates, terms, and conditions of interconnection and for the resale of services and facilities. Whether set by negotiation or by the commission, interconnection and resale prices, rates, terms, and conditions shall be filed with the commission before their effective date. The commission shall have the authority to arbitrate any dispute regarding interpretation of interconnection or resale prices and terms and conditions.

(3)  In the event that the commission receives a single petition relating to either interconnection or resale of services and facilities, it shall vote, within 120 days following such filing, to set nondiscriminatory rates, terms, and conditions, except that the rates shall not be below cost. If the commission receives one or more petitions relating to both interconnection and resale of services and facilities, the commission shall conduct separate proceedings for each and, within 120 days following such filing, make two separate determinations setting such nondiscriminatory rates, terms, and conditions, except that the rates shall not be below cost.

(4)  In setting the local interconnection charge, the commission shall determine that the charge is sufficient to cover the cost of furnishing interconnection.

(5)  The commission shall ensure that, if the rate it sets for a service or facility to be resold provides a discount below the tariff rate for such service or facility which appropriately reflects the local exchange telecommunications company's avoidance of the expense and cost of marketing such service or facility to retail customers, such rate must not be below cost. The commission shall also assure that this rate is not set so high that it would serve as a barrier to competition.

(6)  An alternative local exchange telecommunications company that did not have an application for certification on file with the commission on July 1, 1995, shall have 60 days from the date it is certificated to negotiate with a local exchange telecommunications company mutually acceptable prices, terms, and conditions of interconnection and for the resale of services and facilities. If a negotiated price is not established after 60 days, either party may petition the commission to establish nondiscriminatory rates, terms, and conditions of interconnection and for the resale of services and facilities. The commission shall have 120 days to make a determination after proceeding as required by subsection (3).

(7)  Prior to July 1, 1999, the parties may negotiate a new local interconnection charge to be effective not earlier than July 1, 1999. If the parties cannot satisfactorily negotiate a new local interconnection charge, either party may petition the commission to resolve the matter. In the event any party, prior to July 1, 1999, believes that circumstances have changed substantially to warrant a different price for local interconnection, that party may petition the commission for a price change, but the commission shall grant such petition only after an opportunity for a hearing and a compelling showing of changed circumstances, including that the provider's customer population includes as many residential as business customers. The commission shall act on any such petition within 120 days.

History.--s. 16, ch. 95-403.