Minn. Stat. § 237.16
[See Note.]
[Repealed by amendment, 1995 c 156 s 5]
Every company authorized to provide local telephone service under this section shall file a territorial map. The map must comply with the rules prescribed by the commission.
No company authorized to provide local service shall provide local telephone service in any area for which it has not been certified nor shall any person acquire ownership or control of another telephone company either directly or indirectly, without first obtaining from the commission an amended certificate of authority. The applicant for an amended certificate shall file with the commission notice of the expansion or acquisition, along with a new map under subdivision 3, identifying the territory to be served. Notice of the filing shall be served on any affected municipality and local telephone company certified in that territory. If no objection is filed with the commission by any interested party or raised by the commission within 20 days of the filing, it is considered approved, except if it involves an acquisition governed by section 237.23, in which case no certificate shall be granted until approval is obtained pursuant to that section and subdivision 1. If an objection is filed, the commission shall determine whether to approve the amendment in an expedited proceeding under section 237.61. This section shall not be construed to require a telephone company operating an exchange in Minnesota to secure a certificate for an extension within any territory within which such company has heretofore filed maps or for substitute facilities within such territories, or for extensions into territories contiguous to that already occupied by such company and not receiving similar service from another company if no certificate of territorial authority has been issued to or applied for by any other company.
Any certificate of authority may, after notice of hearing and a hearing, be revoked or temporarily suspended by the commission, in whole or in part, for: the failure of its holder to furnish reasonably adequate telephone service within the area or areas determined and defined in the certificate of authority; failure to meet the terms and conditions of its certificate; intentional violation of the commission's rules or orders; or intentional violation of any applicable state or federal law relating to the provision of telephone or telecommunications services.
This section does not require any telephone company providing local service in the state of Minnesota to render telephone service in any portion of any territorial area not included on the telephone company's territorial map.
This section does not limit the ability of telephone companies possessing certificates of territorial authority on August 1, 1995, including, but not limited to, certificates authorizing resale of local telephone service, to continue to provide telephone service within their designated territories.
The commission shall establish and require contributions to a universal service fund, to be supported by all providers of telephone services, whether or not they are telephone companies under section 237.01, including, but not limited to, local telephone companies, independent telephone companies, cooperative telephone companies, municipal telephone companies, telecommunications carriers, radio common carriers, personal communication service providers, and cellular carriers. Services that should be considered for inclusion as universal include, at a minimum, single-party service including access, usage and touch-tone capability; line quality capable of carrying facsimile and data transmissions; equal access; emergency services number capability; statewide telecommunications relay service for people with hearing loss; and blocking of long-distance toll services. The fund must be administered and distributed in accordance with rules adopted by the commission and designed to preserve the availability of universal service throughout the state. Any state universal service fund must be coordinated with any federal universal service fund and be consistent with section 254(b)(1) to (5) of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, Public Law 104-104.
MS 2012 [Repealed, 2014 c 222 art 1 s 58]
MS 2012 [Repealed, 2014 c 222 art 1 s 58]
In order to promote the development of competitive interexchange services and facilities, any interexchange facility that is owned by a certified telephone company, independent telephone company, telecommunications carrier or an affiliate and that is used to provide service to customers located in areas for which it has been previously certified to provide service may be extended to meet and interconnect with the facility of another telephone company, small telephone company, or telecommunications carrier, whether at a point inside or outside of its territories, without further proceeding, order, or determination of current or future public convenience and necessity, upon mutual consent with the other telephone company, small telephone company, or telecommunications carrier whose facilities will be met and interconnected. Written notice of the extension and interconnection must be provided to the Public Utilities Commission and Department of Public Safety within 30 days after completion. The written notice must be served on all incumbent local exchange companies in all areas where the facilities are located.
MS 2012 [Repealed, 2014 c 222 art 1 s 58]
Minn. Stat. § 237.16
(5299) 1915 c 152 s 13; 1925 c 184 s 1; 1961 c 637 s 1; 1971 c 25 s 67; 1980 c 614 s 123; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1987 c 340 s 22; 1995 c 156 s 5,25; 1996 c 305 art 1 s 56; 1996 c 340 s 1; 1997 c 68 s 2; 1997 c 123 s 2; 1997 c 223 s 7; 2003 c 97 s 2; 2013 c 62 s 15; 2014 c 222 art 1 s 33-35