1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to commerce; relieving telephone companies or telecommunications
1.3 carriers of the obligation to serve certain areas; requiring the Office of Broadband
1.4 Development to resolve disputes; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
1.5 Statutes, chapter 237.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. [237.181] SERVICE TO AREAS WITH CARRY VOICE OVER
1.8INTERNET PROTOCOL SERVICES.
1.9 Subdivision 1.Service requirement.(a) Notwithstanding any other provision in this
1.10chapter, a telephone company or telecommunications carrier is not required to offer services
1.11in an area the Federal Communications Commission has identified through mapping or a
1.12successor data program as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice
1.13over Internet protocol services.
1.14 (b) A telephone company or telecommunications carrier that is not required to offer
1.15service in an area pursuant to paragraph (a) must: (1) notify the Public Utilities Commission
1.16that the telephone company or telecommunications carrier is not offering service in the area
1.17pursuant to paragraph (a); and (2) notify the relevant customers of the process under
1.18subdivision 2 to dispute whether the Federal Communications Commission identified the
1.19customer's location as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice
1.20over Internet protocol services.
1.21 Subd. 2.Dispute resolution.(a) The Office of Broadband Development established
1.22under section 116J.39 must resolve a dispute over whether a federal data program shows a
1Section 1.
REVISOR RSI/ES 25-0314502/12/25
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 1971
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Kresha03/06/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce Finance and Policy 2.1location as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over Internet
2.2protocol services.
2.3 (b) A customer that disputes whether a federal data program shows a location as having
2.4telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over Internet protocol services
2.5must send a letter or email notifying the Office of Broadband Development of the dispute.
2.6Within five business days of the date the dispute notice is received, the Office of Broadband
2.7Development must notify the relevant telephone company or telecommunications carrier.
2.8 (c) The telephone company or telecommunications carrier must respond to the customer's
2.9letter or email within five business days of the date the Office of Broadband Development
2.10provided notice under paragraph (b).
2.11 (d) The state broadband director must resolve the dispute within 15 business days of the
2.12date the telephone company or telecommunications carrier responds to the customer's dispute
2.13letter or email, or the deadline to respond under paragraph (c), whichever is earlier. The
2.14state broadband director must determine whether the Federal Communications Commission
2.15identified the area as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over
2.16Internet protocol services.
2.17 (e) If the state broadband director determines the Federal Communications Commission
2.18identified the area as having telecommunications infrastructure available to carry voice over
2.19Internet protocol services, the telephone company or telecommunications carrier is relieved
2.20of any obligation to serve the disputed location. This paragraph does not relieve the telephone
2.21company or telecommunications carrier from providing services under any applicable federal
2.22obligation.
2.23 (f) If the state broadband director determines that the Federal Communications
2.24Commission identified the location as not having telecommunications infrastructure available
2.25to carry voice over Internet protocol services, the telephone company or telecommunications
2.26carrier is not relieved of any obligation to serve the disputed location.
2Section 1.
REVISOR RSI/ES 25-0314502/12/25