Telecommunications Equipment Research and Manufacturing Competition Act of 1991

Summary

Telecommunications Equipment Research and Manufacturing Competition Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize a Bell Telephone Company (BTC), through an affiliate, to manufacture and provide telecommunications equipment, except that no BTC may engage in such manufacturing with an unaffiliated BTC or affiliates thereof. Allows such manufacturing or provision to be conducted only through an affiliate that is separate from any BTC. Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prescribe regulations to ensure that: (1) such manufacturing affiliate maintains separate accounts and records from its affiliated BTC which identify all transactions with the BTC; (2) neither a BTC nor any of its non-manufacturing affiliates carry out sales, advertising, installation, production, or maintenance operations for a manufacturing affiliate; (3) such manufacturing affiliate conducts all of its manufacturing activity within the United States and uses component parts manufactured in the United States unless specified requirements regarding good faith efforts to obtain such component parts in the United States and domestic content are met; (4) no more than 90 percent of the equity of the manufacturing affiliate is owned by the parent BTC; (5) such affiliate incurs debt entirely separate from and without recourse against the affiliated BTC; (6) such affiliate shall not be required to operate separately from any other affiliates of its BTC; (7) if an affiliate of a BTC becomes affiliated with a manufacturing entity, it shall be treated as a manufacturing affiliate of the BTC; and (8) such affiliate shall make available any telecommunications equipment manufactured by such affiliates to any purchasing carrier, so long as each such purchaser does not manufacture such equipment or agrees to make available to the BTC or any of its affiliates any telecommunications equipment manufactured by such purchasing carrier or any of its affiliates. Directs the FCC to require that each BTC maintain and file with the FCC complete information with respect to the protocols and technical requirements for connections with and use of its telephone exchange service facilities. Prohibits a BTC from disclosing any such information to its affiliates unless such information is immediately so filed. Requires any two or more carriers providing regulated telephone exchange service in the same area to notify each other of the deployment of telecommunications equipment. Requires the FCC to ensure that manufacturers in competition with a BTC's manufacturing affiliate have ready and equal access to information required for such competition that such BTC makes available to its affiliate. Requires the FCC to prescribe regulations to require any BTC which has a manufacturing affiliate to: (1) provide to other manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment opportunities to sell such equipment to such BTC which are comparable to opportunities the BTC provides to its affiliates; (2) not subsidize its manufacturing affiliate with revenues from its regulated telecommunications service; and (3) only purchase equipment from its manufacturing affiliate at the open market price. Allows a BTC and its affiliates to engage in close collaboration with any manufacturer of customer premises or telecommunications equipment during the design and development of hardware and software relating to such equipment.

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Documents

7 official files

• Reported to Senate (text)

  Reported to Senate · EN

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• Referred in House (text)

  Referred in House · EN

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• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN

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• Engrossed in Senate (text)

  Engrossed in Senate · EN

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• Passed Senate amended

  summary · EN · 5 June 1991

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• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 19 April 1991

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 14 January 1991

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