(A)

(1) No telephone company shall operate in this state without first obtaining a certificate from the public utilities commission, and no wireless service provider shall operate in this state without first being registered with the commission. A telephone company not holding such a certificate on the effective date of this section, or a wireless service provider not so registered on that date, shall file, respectively, a certification application or registration with the commission, each in the manner set forth in rules adopted by the commission. The application or registration shall include all of the following:

(a) The company's or provider's name and address;

(b) The name of a contact person and that person's contact information;

(c) A service description, including the general geographic areas served, but not maps of service areas;

(d) Evidence of registration with the secretary of state;

(e) Evidence of notice to the public utilities tax division of the department of taxation of the company's or provider's intent to provide service;

(f) As to a certification application, evidence of financial, technical, and managerial ability to provide adequate service to the public consistent with law.

Division (A)(1) of this section does not apply to any incumbent local exchange carrier with respect to its geographic service area as that area existed on the effective date of this section.

(2) The commission may suspend or reject the certification application of a telephone company if it finds, within thirty days after the application's submission and based on the evidence provided under division (A)(1)(f) of this section, that the applicant lacks financial, technical, or managerial ability sufficient to provide adequate service to the public consistent with law.

(B) If any of the filed information described in divisions (A)(1)(a) to (f) of this section changes, a telephone company shall update its certification and provide any necessary notice to customers, and a wireless service provider shall update its registration. The commission shall adopt rules governing the requirements of this division.

Added by 128th General AssemblyFile No.43, SB 162, §1, eff. 9/13/2010. .