Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3713 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Capriglione H.B. No. 3713
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6	6	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	7	AN ACT
8	8	relating of maintenance of rates and expansion of funds for certain
9	9	companies.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 56, Utilities Code, is
12	12	amended to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 56.025 MAINTENANCE OF RATES AND EXPANSION OF FUND FOR
14	14	CERTAIN COMPANIES. (a) In addition to the authority provided by
15	15	Section 56.021:
16	16	(1) for each local exchange company that serves fewer
17	17	than 31,000 access lines and each cooperative, the commission may
18	18	adopt a mechanism necessary to maintain reasonable rates for local
19	19	exchange telephone service; and
20	20	(2) for each local exchange and each cooperative that
21	21	serves 31,000 or fewer access lines and that on June 1, 2013, is not
22	22	an electing company under Chapter 58 or 59, the commission shall
23	23	adopt rules to expand the universal service fund in the
24	24	circumstances prescribed by this section.
25	25	(b) The commission shall implement a mechanism through the
26	26	universal service fund to replace the reasonably projected
27	27	reduction in high cost assistance revenue caused by a commission
28	28	order, rule, or policy. This subsection does not apply to an order
29	29	entered in a proceeding related to an individual company’s revenue
30	30	requirements.
31	31	[(c) The commission shall implement a mechanism to replace
32	32	the reasonably projected change in revenue caused by a Federal
33	33	Communications Commission order, rule, or policy that changes:
34	34	(1) the federal universal service fund revenue of a
35	35	local exchange company; or
36	36	(2) costs or revenue assigned to the intrastate
37	37	jurisdiction.]
38	38	(c) [(d)] The commission shall implement a mechanism to
39	39	replace the reasonably projected reduction in contribution caused
40	40	by a change of commission policy regarding intraLATA “1-plus”
41	41	dialing access. In this subsection, “contribution” means the
42	42	average intraLATA long distance message telecommunications service
43	43	revenue per minute, including intraLATA toll pooling and associated
44	44	impacts, less the average message telecommunications service cost
45	45	per minute less the average contribution from switched access
46	46	multiplied by the projected change in intraLATA “1-plus”minutes.
47	47	(d) [(e)] The commission shall implement a mechanism to
48	48	replace the reasonably projected increase in costs or decrease in
49	49	revenue of the intrastate jurisdiction caused by another
50	50	governmental agency’s order, rule, or policy.
51	51	(e) [(f)] A mechanism implemented under Subsection (c),
52	52	(d)[, or (e)] must be through:
53	53	(1) an increase in rates, if the increase would not
54	54	adversely affect universal service; or
55	55	(2) the universal service fund.
56	56	(f) [(g)] Not withstanding any other provision of this
57	57	section, after December 31, 2013, the commission may not distribute
58	58	support granted under this section, including any support granted
59	59	before that date, to a local exchange company or cooperative that
60	60	serves greater than 31,000 access lines or that is an electing
61	61	company under Chapter 58 or 59 on June 1, 2013.
62	62	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.