Senate Bill sb0744
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 744
By Senator Siplin
19-821-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to Lifeline telecommunication
3 services; amending s. 364.10, F.S.; requiring
4 each local exchange telecommunications company
5 providing Lifeline Assistance services to
6 submit specified information to the Public
7 Service Commission and the Office of Public
8 Counsel; directing that the information be
9 provided monthly; providing an effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Section 364.10, Florida Statutes, is
14 amended to read:
15 364.10 Undue advantage to person or locality
16 prohibited; Lifeline service; monthly reporting.--
17 (1) A telecommunications company may not make or give
18 any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any
19 person or locality or subject any particular person or
20 locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or
21 disadvantage in any respect whatsoever.
22 (2) The prohibitions of subsection (1)
23 notwithstanding, a telecommunications company serving as
24 carrier of last resort shall provide a Lifeline Assistance
25 Plan to qualified residential subscribers, as defined in a
26 commission-approved tariff and a preferential rate to eligible
27 facilities as provided for in part II.
28 (3)(a) Effective September 1, 2003, any local exchange
29 telecommunications company authorized by the commission to
30 reduce its switched network access rate under pursuant to s.
31 364.164 shall have tariffed and shall provide Lifeline service
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 744
19-821-05
1 to any otherwise eligible customer or potential customer who
2 meets an income eligibility test at 125 percent or less of the
3 federal poverty income guidelines for Lifeline customers. The
4 Such a test for eligibility must augment, rather than replace,
5 the eligibility standards established by federal law and based
6 on participation in certain low-income assistance programs.
7 Each intrastate interexchange telecommunications company
8 shall, effective September 1, 2003, file a tariff providing at
9 a minimum the intrastate interexchange telecommunications
10 carrier's current Lifeline benefits and exemptions to Lifeline
11 customers who meet the income eligibility test set forth in
12 this subsection. The Office of Public Counsel shall certify
13 and maintain claims submitted by a customer for eligibility
14 under the income test authorized by this subsection.
15 (b) Each local exchange telecommunications company
16 subject to this subsection shall provide to each state and
17 federal agency providing benefits to persons eligible for
18 Lifeline service, and to members of the Legislature,
19 applications, brochures, pamphlets, or other materials that
20 contain information concerning the inform such persons of
21 their eligibility criteria for Lifeline, and each state agency
22 providing the such benefits shall furnish the materials to
23 affected persons at the time they apply for benefits.
24 (c) Any local exchange telecommunications company
25 customer receiving Lifeline benefits shall not be subject to
26 any residential basic local telecommunications service rate
27 increases authorized by s. 364.164 until the local exchange
28 telecommunications company reaches parity as defined in s.
29 364.164(5) or until the customer no longer qualifies for the
30 Lifeline benefits established by this section or s. 364.105,
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 744
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1 or unless otherwise determined by the commission upon petition
2 by a local exchange telecommunications company.
3 (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 (e) The commission shall report to the Governor, the
10 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 (4) Each local exchange telecommunications company
15 providing Lifeline Assistance services shall prepare a monthly
16 report concerning participation by its customers in the
17 Lifeline Assistance program. The report must detail the number
18 of:
19 1. Subscribers meeting the income eligibility test.
20 2. Applications for new Lifeline service received.
21 3. New Lifeline subscribers enrolled.
22 4. Subscriber applications rejected by the company and
23 the reasons for each rejection.
24 5. Subscribers removed from the Lifeline Assistance
25 program and the reasons for their removal.
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27 The monthly report shall be sent to the Public Service
28 Commission and the Office of Public Counsel no later than 15
29 days after the last day of the previous month.
30 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 744
19-821-05
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Provides that each local exchange telecommunications
company providing Lifeline Assistance services must
4 submit specified information to the Public Service
Commission and the Office of Public Counsel. Directs that
5 the information be provided on a monthly basis.
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