A. In accordance with the provisions of this section, the commission shall regulate the rates, charges and service conditions for individual contracts for rural public telecommunications services in a manner that authorizes the provision of all or any portion of a public telecommunications service under stated or negotiated terms to any person or entity that has acquired or is preparing to acquire, through construction, lease or any other form of acquisition, similar public telecommunications services from an alternate source.

B. At any time, the provider of rural public telecommunications services may file a verified application with the commission for authorization to provide a public telecommunications service on an individual contract basis. The application shall describe the telecommunications services to be offered, the party to be served and the parties offering the service, together with other information and in a form that the commission may prescribe. Such additional information shall be reasonably related to the determination of the existence of a competitive offer.

C. An application is deemed approved when filed unless the commission denies it. The commission shall approve or deny any such application within ten days after filing or a different period established by the commission, not to exceed sixty days, giving consideration to the requirements of any contract negotiations. If the commission has not acted on any application within the time period established, the application is deemed granted. The commission shall deny the application only upon a finding that the application fails to set forth prescribed information or that the subject or comparable services are not being offered to the customer by parties other than the applicant or that the contract fails to cover the costs of the service.

D. Within ten days after the conclusion of negotiations, the provider of rural public telecommunications services shall file with the commission the final contract or other evidence of the service to be provided, together with the charges and other conditions of the service, which shall be maintained by the commission on a confidential basis subject to an appropriate protective order.

History: Laws 1999, ch. 295, § 9.

Effective dates. — Laws 1999, ch. 295, § 16 made the Rural Telecommunications Act of New Mexico effective July 1, 1999.