Telecommunications Reports presents . . . . . TR's State NewsWire
January 30, 2001 P.M. Edition

STATES
CALIFORNIA -- Lawmaker reintroduces rural infrastructure grant bill
TEXAS -- Consumers Union offers recommendations for the Legislature
ILLINOIS -- Electric company implements program to serve Internet hotels

MISSISSIPPI -- UETA bill clears first hurdle
VIRGINIA -- Committee approves E-911 finance bill
N.Y. -- Police may have to report wireless phone involvement in accident
reports
IOWA -- Bill would require TTY telephone directory notation
SOUTH DAKOTA -- Legislators take aim at drivers using cellphones
MISSOURI -- Bill would require PSC to resolve disputes more quickly
FLORIDA -- PSC says Turbo Code will improve service for TTY users
NORTH CAROLINA -- Bill seeks to limit telemarketing hours
D.C. -- PSC wants comment on proposed Verizon rate reductions
NEVADA -- PUC schedules conference on Verizon DSL conditioning rates
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- AT&T opens data center in D.C.

ADVANCED SERVICES
CALIFORNIA
Lawmaker reintroduces rural infrastructure grant bill

Assemblywoman Virginia Strom-Martin (D., District 1) has introduced AB
140 to establish a grant program to aid in constructing telecom
infrastructure.  Gov. Gray Davis (D.) vetoed an identical bill (AB 1825)
sponsored by Strom-Martin last year, stating that the legislation had
the "potential to hurt all high-cost areas of the state."  Davis added
that he was concerned the plan could raise telephone service rates for
other rural ratepayers.  (10/3/00 a.m.)

Strom-Martin's staff told TR they are working with the Public Utilities
Commission to make the bill more "palatable" to the governor.  Under AB
140, the funding for the infrastructure grant program would come from
the California High-Cost Fund-A Administrative Committee Fund, the
High-Cost Fund-B Administrative Committee Fund, or both.

According to the staff, Davis' understanding of AB 1825 was incorrect
and explained that all the needs satisfied by both high-cost funds would
be met before the infrastructure grant program would receive funds.  The
staff added that the grant fund wouldn't deplete either high-cost fund.

The staff said they were considering turning the grant program into a
more confined pilot fund.

FUTURE OF REGULATION
TEXAS
Consumers Union offers recommendations for the Legislature

Consumers Union, Southwest Region Office, has drafted several issue
recommendations for the Texas Legislature regarding telecom deregulation
and electronic transactions.  In its report to the Legislature,
Consumers Union concluded that five years after the federal
Telecommunications Act of 1996 and six years after passage of Texas' law
promoting telecom competition, few companies have emerged as true
competitors to the incumbents.

Consumers Union said the Public Utility Commission's report on
competition came to similar conclusions.  The group, however, disagreed
with the PUC's recommendations.  According to Consumers Union, several
of the PUC's recommendations favored competitors over consumers.
(1/12/01 p.m.)

For example, Consumers Union disagreed with the PUC's suggestion to lift
the current price cap and raise local phone rates.  Consumers Union
questioned whether it was good public policy to increase residential
prices to help new market entrants earn more money.

Additionally, Consumers Union asked the Legislature not to lower long
distance access charges and permit telephone companies to make up for it
by raising residential service prices.

In addressing electronic commerce issues, Consumers Union recommended
that the Legislature ensure the federal electronic signature protections
are incorporated into the state Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
Consumes Union also requested that the Legislature not allow the
"flawed" Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act to govern
transactions in Texas.

INTERNET
ILLINOIS
Electric company implements program to serve Internet hotels

Commonwealth Edison Co. has filed a tariff with the state Commerce
Commission that requires companies setting up Internet hotels to pay a
refundable installation charge.  ComEd will determine the amount of the
charge for each company through a formula.  The tariff isn't subject to
commission approval and goes into effect immediately.

The tariff implements an experimental program ComEd says will allow it
to obtain data concerning the accuracy of customers' estimates of
electrical demand for Internet hotels, compared with actual service
requirements.  This and other data will help it provide service for
other such uses in the future, ComEd said.

An ICC spokesman described the program as a "prenuptial agreement"
between ComEd and Internet companies.  It will help ComEd determine
whether and how it can serving Internet hotels, which demand a
significant amount of electricity, the spokesman told TR.

FUTURE OF REGULATION
MISSISSIPPI
UETA bill clears first hurdle

The Senate Committee on Fees, Salaries, and Administration has passed a
bill to enact the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).  SB 2678,
introduced by Sen. Neely C. Carlton (D., District 22), has been referred
to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

The bill aims to facilitate e-commerce by giving electronic records and
signatures the same legal effect as their pen and paper counterparts.
(1/19/01 p.m.)  In addition to enacting UETA, SB 2678 would repeal the
sections of Mississippi Code that make up the Digital Signature Act of
1997.

WIRELESS
VIRGINIA
Committee approves E-911 finance bill

The Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor has approved SB 1349 to
exempt commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) customers from a $3
special tax that localities with enhanced "911" service are authorized
to assess on general telephone consumers.

CMRS customers instead would have to pay a 75 cent monthly wireless
E-911 surcharge into the state's Wireless E-911 Fund.  Localities would
be able to recover their public safety answering point costs from the
fund.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Warren E. Barry (R., District 37), has
been referred to the Finance Committee.  Its text is available at
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?011+ful+SB1349.

WIRELESS
NEW YORK
Police may have to report wireless phone involvement in accident reports

Assemblyman David S. Sidikman (D., District 13) has introduced AB 1838
to require police to state in accident reports whether wireless phones
were present in the vehicles involved and whether they contributed to
the accident.  The bill has been referred to the Committee on
Transportation.  Its text is available at
http://assembly.state.ny.us/cgi-bin/showtext?billnum=A01838.

CUSTOMER-AFFECTING
IOWA
Bill would require TTY telephone directory notation

Rep. Michael Cormack (R., District 13) has introduced HF 120 to require
telephone directories to offer notations for text telephone (TTY)
numbers.  Directory providers would be able to satisfy this requirement
by providing notation next to a listing to inform users that a number
was a TTY number.  Alternatively, directory providers could create a
separate section within the directory that listed all TTY numbers.  The
separate TTY reference section would be listed in the directory index.

HF 120 has been referred to the House Committee on Commerce and
Regulation.  Its text is available at
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/79GA/Legislation/HF/00100/HF00120/Current.html
.

WIRELESS
SOUTH DAKOTA
Legislators take aim at drivers using cellphones

Sen. Patricia de Hueck (R., District 24) and Rep. Gerald F. Lange (D.,
District 8) have introduced SB 207 to prohibit the use of hand-held
cellphones, computers, facsimiles, and other portable or laptop devices
while driving.  Drivers using hands-free devices would have to exercise
"a high degree of caution" while driving.

SB 207 provides exemptions for (1) persons operating an emergency
vehicle, (2) persons who have moved their vehicle to the shoulder, (3)
persons involved in emergency situations, and (4) persons who notice
another driver who appears to be under the influence of drugs or
alcohol.

The measure has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee.

FUTURE OF REGULATION
MISSOURI
Bill would require PSC to resolve disputes more quickly

Rep. Gary Burton (R., District 128) has introduced HB 521 to require the
Public Service Commission to create expedited dispute resolution
procedures.  The bill's primary focus is to allow requests from
competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) to be approved more quickly,
Burton told TR.  The PSC currently takes up to 11 months to process
CLECs' complaints against incumbents over issues such as collocation
rates, Burton said.

The bill faces no opposition at this time, Burton said, noting that he
plans to try to pass HB 521 as a consent bill.  Burton expects a hearing
on the measure will be held as early as Feb. 8.  Its text is available
at http://www.house.state.mo.us/bills01/biltxt01/intro01/HB0521I.htm.

CUSTOMER-AFFECTING
FLORIDA
PSC says Turbo Code will improve service for TTY users

The Florida Relay Service has introduced a new operating system for the
state's telecommunications relay system that will vastly improve service
for text telephone (TTY) customers, the Public Service Commission said.
The Florida Relay Service offers telecom service to consumers with
impaired speech and hearing, and the Public Service Commission monitors
the service's quality.

Sprint Corp., which received the contract to maintain Florida's relay
system in June 2000, recently licensed the Turbo Code operating system.
Turbo Code is expected to make relay calls almost twice as fast as on
the old platform, bringing TTY users closer to "real-time"
communication.  In addition, the upgrade will enable TTY customers to
read text more easily by allowing them to control how fast text appears.

CUSTOMER-AFFECTING
NORTH CAROLINA
Bill seeks to limit telemarketing hours

Sen. Charles W. Albertson (D., District 5) has introduced SB 4 to
restrict further the hours in which telemarketers are allowed to call
consumers.  Telemarketers wouldn't be able to call consumers after 6
p.m., whereas current law permits such calls until 9 p.m.

SB 4 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Insurance and Consumer
Protection.  It text is available at
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/html2001/bills/AllVersions/Senate/S4v1.html.

ALTERNATIVE REGULATION
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PSC wants comment on proposed Verizon rate reductions

The Public Service Commission has given parties until Feb. 19 to comment
on rate reductions filed by Verizon Washington D.C., Inc., pursuant to
its price cap plan.

Verizon filed tariff changes that would reduce basic service rates by $2
million annually.  The changes would increase the monthly fee for the
company's Economy Rate I Message service from $5.19 to $6.00, while
reducing several other monthly rates and one-time charges.

Replies are due March 6.  (Formal case no. 814, Phase IV, Investigation
into the Impact of the AT&T Divestiture and Decisions of the Federal
Communications Commission on Verizon Washington, DC Inc.'s
Jurisdictional Rates)

ADVANCED SERVICES
NEVADA
PUC schedules conference on Verizon DSL conditioning rates

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has scheduled a Feb. 20
prehearing conference to discuss Verizon California Inc., d/b/a Verizon
Nevada's, cost study and proposed rates for conditioning digital
subscriber line loops.  Verizon submitted the cost study in compliance
with the FCC's order approving the merger of GTE Corp. and Bell Atlantic
Corp., which formed Verizon.  (Docket no. 00-12008)

ADVANCED SERVICES
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
AT&T opens data center in D.C.

AT&T today announced it has opened an Internet data center in the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area."  The 105,000 square-foot facility,
which is located in Ashburn, Va., provides end-to-end web hosting
services for enterprise customers, content providers, startups and
dot.coms, the company said.

AT&T operates 15 data centers around the nation, with more than 1.2
million square feet of conditioned Web hosting space. AT&T said it hopes
to construct an additional six centers later this year.

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