Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 478
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-00090A-24                                           2024478__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to designation of eligible
    3         telecommunications carriers; amending s. 364.10, F.S.;
    4         revising the definition of the term “eligible
    5         telecommunications carrier”; authorizing the Public
    6         Service Commission to designate certain entities as
    7         eligible telecommunications carriers for a specified
    8         purpose; providing legislative intent; providing an
    9         effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Present paragraph (i) of subsection (2) of
   14  section 364.10, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection
   15  (4) of that section, subsection (3) is added to that section,
   16  and paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of that section is amended,
   17  to read:
   18         364.10 Lifeline service.—
   19         (1)(a) An eligible telecommunications carrier shall provide
   20  a Lifeline Assistance Plan to qualified residential subscribers,
   21  as defined in the eligible telecommunications carrier’s
   22  published schedules. For the purposes of this section, the term
   23  “eligible telecommunications carrier” means an entity a
   24  telecommunications company, as defined by s. 364.02, which is
   25  designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier by the
   26  commission pursuant to 47 C.F.R. s. 54.201 and this section.
   27         (3)(a) The commission has the power and authority to
   28  designate an entity, upon petition and in accordance with 47
   29  C.F.R. s. 54.201, as an eligible telecommunications carrier,
   30  provided that such entity is:
   31         1. A telecommunications company; or
   32         2. A commercial mobile radio service provider.
   33         (b) This legislative authority is intended to be sufficient
   34  to enable the commission, for the limited purpose of providing
   35  Lifeline service under this section, to approve any of the types
   36  of entities specified in paragraph (a) as an eligible
   37  telecommunications carrier. The commission may exercise such
   38  authority in addition to the commission jurisdiction otherwise
   39  specified in this chapter.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.