48:2-21.16. Findings, declarations

1. a. The Legislature finds and declares that it is the policy of the State to:

(1) Maintain universal telecommunications service at affordable rates.

(2) Ensure that customers pay only reasonable charges for local exchange telecommunications services, which shall be available on a non-discriminatory basis.

(3) Ensure that rates for noncompetitive telecommunications services do not subsidize the competitive ventures of providers of telecommunications service.

(4) Provide diversity in the supply of telecommunications services and products in telecommunications markets throughout the State.

(5) Permit the board the authority to approve alternative forms of regulation in order to address changes in technology and the structure of the telecommunications industry; to modify the regulation of competitive services; and to promote economic development.

b. The Legislature further finds and declares that:

(1) In a competitive marketplace, traditional utility regulation is not necessary to protect the public interest and that competition will promote efficiency, reduce regulatory delay, and foster productivity and innovation.

(2) Whether measured by the number of interexchange companies operating in New Jersey, the variety and number of services and/or competitive alternatives, or barriers to entry, the interexchange telecommunications marketplace in New Jersey is sufficiently competitive to relieve interexchange telecommunications carriers from traditional utility regulation.

(3) Permitting the competitive interexchange telecommunications marketplace to operate without traditional utility regulation will produce a wider selection of services at competitive market-based prices.

(4) The board has found the interexchange telecommunications market place sufficiently competitive to relieve interexchange carriers from traditional utility regulation but found it lacked the authority to eliminate unnecessary regulatory constraints under the existing public utility statute.

(5) It is in the public interest to relieve interexchange telecommunications carriers from traditional utility regulation.

L.1991,c.428,s.1.