GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1985 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 680

HOUSE BILL 1209

 

AN ACT TO PERMIT THE PROVISION OF TELEPHONE SERVICE BY ENTITIES OTHER THAN THE CERTIFICATED TELEPHONE COMPANY BY COIN, COINLESS, OR KEY-OPERATED PAY TELEPHONES.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  G.S. 62-110 is amended by adding the following paragraphs at the end:

"The Commission shall be authorized, consistent with the public interest, to adopt procedures for the issuance of a special certificate to any person for the limited purpose of offering telephone service to the public by means of coin, coinless, or key-operated pay telephone instruments. This service may be in addition to or in competition with public telephone services offered by the certificated telephone company in the service area. The certificated local exchange telephone company in the service area where any new pay telephone service is proposed shall be the only provider of the access line from the pay instrument to the network, and the rates approved by the Commission for this access line shall be fully compensatory, reflect the business nature of the service, and shall be set on a measured usage rate basis where facilities are available or on a message rate basis otherwise. The Commission shall promulgate rules to implement the service authorized by this section, recognizing the competitive nature of the offerings and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Commission shall determine the extent to which such services shall be regulated and to the extent necessary to protect the public interest regulate the terms, conditions, and rates for such service and the terms and conditions for interconnection to the local exchange network."

Sec. 2.  This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 10th day of July, 1985.