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Senate Amendment 5172

Amendment Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Amend Senate File 429, as amended, passed, and
  1  2 reprinted by the Senate, as follows:
  1  3    #1.  By striking everything after the enacting
  1  4 clause and inserting the following:
  1  5    "Section 1.  Section 476.97, subsection 11,
  1  6 paragraph e, subparagraph (1), Code 2001, is amended
  1  7 by striking the subparagraph and inserting in lieu
  1  8 thereof the following:
  1  9    (1)  A price-regulated local exchange carrier shall
  1 10 not increase its rates for basic communications
  1 11 services, for a period of twelve months after electing
  1 12 to become price regulated.  To the extent necessary,
  1 13 rates for basic services may be increased to carry out
  1 14 the purpose of any rules that may be adopted by the
  1 15 board relating to the terms and conditions of
  1 16 unbundled services and interconnection.  A price-
  1 17 regulated local exchange carrier may increase its
  1 18 rates for basic communications services following the
  1 19 initial twelve-month period, to the extent that the
  1 20 change in its aggregate revenue weighted prices does
  1 21 not exceed the most recent annual change in the gross
  1 22 domestic product price index, as published by the
  1 23 federal government.  If application of that formula
  1 24 achieves a negative result, prices shall be reduced so
  1 25 that the cumulative price change for basic services,
  1 26 including prior price reductions in these services,
  1 27 achieves the negative result.  The board by rule may
  1 28 adopt different measures of inflation if they are
  1 29 found to be more reflective of the individual price-
  1 30 regulated carriers.
  1 31    Sec. 2.  Section 476.97, subsection 11, paragraph
  1 32 g, subparagraph (4), Code 2001, is amended by striking
  1 33 the subparagraph and inserting in lieu thereof the
  1 34 following:
  1 35    (4)  Rates may be adjusted by the board to reflect
  1 36 any changes in revenues, expenses, and investment due
  1 37 to exogenous factors beyond the control of the local
  1 38 exchange carrier, including, but not limited to, the
  1 39 effects of local competition.  The board shall have
  1 40 ninety days to consider rate changes proposed under
  1 41 this subparagraph, but for good cause may grant one or
  1 42 more extensions in thirty-day increments, not to
  1 43 exceed a total of one hundred eighty days.
  1 44    Sec. 3.  Section 476.97, subsection 11, paragraph
  1 45 h, Code 2001, is amended to read as follows:
  1 46    h.  The board may review a local exchange carrier's
  1 47 operation under this subsection, with notice and an
  1 48 opportunity for hearing, after four years of the
  1 49 carrier's election to be price-regulated.  The local
  1 50 exchange carrier, consumer advocate, or any person may
  2  1 propose, and the board may approve, any reasonable
  2  2 modifications to the price-regulation requirements in
  2  3 this subsection as a result of the specific carrier
  2  4 review, except that such with the following
  2  5 limitations:
  2  6    (1)  Such modifications shall not require a
  2  7 reduction in the rates for any basic communications
  2  8 service or a return to rate-base, rate-of-return
  2  9 regulation.
  2 10    (2)  Such proposals for modifications under this
  2 11 paragraph "h" are limited to no more than one every
  2 12 three years.
  2 13    The board shall approve, or approve subject to
  2 14 modification, a proposal for modification within one
  2 15 hundred eighty days of filing, but for good cause may
  2 16 grant one extension of sixty days, not to exceed a
  2 17 total of two hundred forty days.  Reasonable
  2 18 modifications may include increases without offsetting
  2 19 decreases in any rate for basic and nonbasic
  2 20 communications service of the carrier.  In reviewing
  2 21 the carrier's proposal, the board shall consider, but
  2 22 not be limited to, potential rate consolidations, the
  2 23 impact of competition or other external factors since
  2 24 election of price regulation, the impact of the
  2 25 proposal on the carrier's ability to attract capital,
  2 26 and the impact of the proposal on the ability of the
  2 27 carrier to deploy advanced telecommunications
  2 28 services.
  2 29    Sec. 4.  Section 476.97, subsection 11, Code 2001,
  2 30 is amended by adding the following new paragraphs:
  2 31    NEW PARAGRAPH.  j.  Upon the request of a local
  2 32 exchange carrier, the board shall, when required by
  2 33 this subsection, grant the carrier temporary authority
  2 34 to place in effect seventy-five percent, or such
  2 35 lesser amount as the carrier may request, of the
  2 36 requested increases in rates, charges, schedules, or
  2 37 regulations by filing with the board a bond
  2 38 conditioned upon the refund in a manner to be
  2 39 prescribed by the board of any amounts collected from
  2 40 any customer class in excess of the amounts which
  2 41 would have been collected under rates, charges,
  2 42 schedules, or regulations finally approved by the
  2 43 board.  The board shall approve a request for
  2 44 temporary authority within thirty days after the date
  2 45 of filing of the request.  The decision shall be
  2 46 effective immediately.
  2 47    The board shall determine the rate of interest to
  2 48 be paid by a public utility to persons receiving
  2 49 refunds.  The interest rate to be applied to refunds
  2 50 of moneys collected subject to refund under this
  3  1 subsection is one percent per annum plus the average
  3  2 quarterly interest rate at commercial banks for
  3  3 twenty-four-month loans for personal expenditures, as
  3  4 determined by the board, compounded annually.  The
  3  5 board shall consider federal reserve statistical
  3  6 release G.19 or its equivalent when determining
  3  7 interest to be paid under this subsection.
  3  8    NEW PARAGRAPH.  k.  The board and the consumer
  3  9 advocate may employ additional temporary staff, or may
  3 10 contract for professional services with persons who
  3 11 are not state employees, as the board and consumer
  3 12 advocate deem necessary to review a local exchange
  3 13 carrier's operations, proposal for modifications, rate
  3 14 change proposal, or proposed changes in aggregate
  3 15 revenue weighted prices pursuant to this subsection.
  3 16 Beginning July 1, 2002, there is appropriated out of
  3 17 any funds in the state treasury not otherwise
  3 18 appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to enable
  3 19 the board to hire additional staff and contract for
  3 20 services under this subsection.  The costs of the
  3 21 additional staff and services shall be assessed to the
  3 22 local exchange carrier pursuant to the procedures in
  3 23 sections 475A.6 and 476.10.
  3 24    Sec. 5.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of
  3 25 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment."
  3 26    #2.  Title page, by striking lines 2 through 4 and
  3 27 inserting the following:  "including the modification
  3 28 or adjustment of certain rates, making an
  3 29 appropriation, and providing an effective date." 
  3 30 SF 429H
  3 31 jj/es/25
     

Text: S05171                            Text: S05173
Text: S05100 - S05199                   Text: S Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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