Consumer Telecommunications and Ratepayer Protection Act of 1983

Summary

Consumer Telecommunications and Ratepayer Protection Act of 1983 - Declares that the decisions and orders of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in C.C. docket numbered 78-72 (relating exchange access charges) shall not have effect before January 1, 1986. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the FCC to establish a system of charges to compensate exchange common carriers for exchange access and to change the system of jurisdictional separation of property and expenses in force on the date of the enactment of this Act. Sets forth the purposes of such system of charges. Directs the FCC to ascertain and apportion, by regulation, the costs incurred by exchange carriers to provide exchange access. Requires such regulation to provide for the ascertainment and apportionment of the costs of exchange access between exchange (local) service and interexchange (long distance) service in a manner that ensures the universal availability of basic communications service at reasonable rates. Directs the FCC, in ascertaining and apportioning the costs of exchange access, to ensure that the costs of nontraffic-sensitive facilities used to provide exchange access are allocated to interexchange service in an amount no less than that which would be determined on the basis of the relative use of such facilities for interexchange service, in accordance with the methodology in effect on December 1, 1982. Requires that an exchange carrier shall retain any terminal equipment which it provided on December 31, 1982, and shall continue to make the equipment available to customers under tariffs in force as of such date until the equipment is fully depreciated except that: (1) State commissions shall permit increases in such tariffs to reflect any reasonable increases in the costs of providing such equipment; and (2) the customer may purchase such equipment for a price fixed by the State commission. Authorizes exchange carriers to offer other terminal equipment to the public at any time after January 1, 1984, if the equipment: (1) is manufactured by unaffiliated persons; and (2) is offered through a separate subsidiary which meets specified requirements. Directs the FCC to require that all telecommunications services provided by an interexchange carrier certified by the FCC shall originate and terminate over the facilities of a local exchange common carrier. Prohibits the FCC from having any jurisdiction over State regulation of depreciation rates for telephone equipment use for intrastate telephone service. Grants to States exclusive jurisdiction over the provision of intrastate telecommunication service.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 12 July 1983

   Introduced

   Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 12 July 1983

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 12 July 1983

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 18 July 1983

   Referred

   Referred to Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance.

   Source: Committee

5. 18 October 1983

   Committee

   See H.R.4102.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 12 July 1983

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Boner, William H. [D-TN-5] · D · Sponsor
• · hsif00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← Universal Telephone Service Preservation Act of 1983