Senate Bill sb0742

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 742

    By Senator Siplin





    19-823-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Lifeline telecommunications

  3         service; amending s. 364.10, F.S.; directing

  4         local exchange telecommunications companies to

  5         notify company customers of the Lifeline

  6         service and the eligibility criteria for

  7         Lifeline participation; requiring the company

  8         to send brochures, pamphlets, or other

  9         materials to the customers at least once each

10         year in the customer's monthly billing

11         envelope; providing an effective date.

12  

13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

14  

15         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 364.10, Florida

16  Statutes, is amended to read:

17         364.10  Undue advantage to person or locality

18  prohibited; Lifeline service.--

19         (3)(a)  Effective September 1, 2003, any local exchange

20  telecommunications company authorized by the commission to

21  reduce its switched network access rate under pursuant to s.

22  364.164 shall have tariffed and shall provide Lifeline service

23  to any otherwise eligible customer or potential customer who

24  meets an income eligibility test at 125 percent or less of the

25  federal poverty income guidelines for Lifeline customers.

26  However, the company shall provide Lifeline service to a

27  person 65 years of age or older if the person meets an income

28  eligibility test at 175 percent or less of the Federal poverty

29  income guidelines. The Such a test for eligibility must

30  augment, rather than replace, the eligibility standards

31  established by federal law and based on participation in

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 742
    19-823-05




 1  certain low-income assistance programs. Each intrastate

 2  interexchange telecommunications company shall, effective

 3  September 1, 2003, file a tariff providing at a minimum the

 4  intrastate interexchange telecommunications carrier's current

 5  Lifeline benefits and exemptions to Lifeline customers who

 6  meet the income eligibility test set forth in this subsection.

 7  The Office of Public Counsel shall certify and maintain claims

 8  submitted by a customer for eligibility under the income test

 9  authorized by this subsection.

10         (b)  Each local exchange telecommunications company

11  subject to this subsection shall provide to each state and

12  federal agency providing benefits to persons eligible for

13  Lifeline service applications, brochures, pamphlets, or other

14  materials that inform the such persons of their eligibility

15  for Lifeline, and each state agency providing the such

16  benefits shall furnish the materials to affected persons at

17  the time they apply for benefits.

18         (c)  Each local exchange telecommunications company

19  subject to this subsection shall notify the company's

20  customers of the Lifeline service and the eligibility criteria

21  for Lifeline participation. At least once each year, the

22  company must include in the customer's monthly billing

23  envelope the Lifeline brochures, pamphlets, or other materials

24  promoting participation in the program.

25         (d)(c)  Any local exchange telecommunications company

26  customer receiving Lifeline benefits shall not be subject to

27  any residential basic local telecommunications service rate

28  increases authorized by s. 364.164 until the local exchange

29  telecommunications company reaches parity as defined in s.

30  364.164(5) or until the customer no longer qualifies for the

31  Lifeline benefits established by this section or s. 364.105,

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005                                   SB 742
    19-823-05




 1  or unless otherwise determined by the commission upon petition

 2  by a local exchange telecommunications company.

 3         (e)(d)  By December 31, 2003, each state agency that

 4  provides benefits to persons eligible for Lifeline service

 5  shall undertake, in cooperation with the Department of

 6  Children and Family Services, the commission, and

 7  telecommunications companies providing Lifeline services, the

 8  development of procedures to promote Lifeline participation.

 9         (f)(e)  The commission shall report to the Governor,

10  the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of

11  Representatives by December 31 each year on the number of

12  customers who are subscribing to Lifeline service and the

13  effectiveness of any procedures to promote participation.

14         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

15  

16            *****************************************

17                          SENATE SUMMARY

18    Directs local exchange telecommunications companies to
      notify company customers of the Lifeline service and the
19    eligibility criteria for Lifeline participation. Requires
      companies to send brochures, pamphlets, or other
20    materials to the customers at least once each year in the
      customer's monthly billing envelope.
21  

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.