By A. Smith of Harris, Cain H.B. No. 2522
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the provision of discounted telephone rates to
1-3 educational institutions.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 3, Public Utility Regulatory Act (Article
1-6 1446c, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) is amended by adding
1-7 subsection (w), to read as follows:
1-8 (w) The term "educational institution," when used in this
1-9 Act, means and includes state or local governmentally owned or
1-10 operated schools, colleges, and universities; and the Texas
1-11 Education Agency, its successors and assigns, and the Texas Higher
1-12 Education Coordinating Board, its successors and assigns.
1-13 SECTION 2. Subsection (e), Section 18, Public Utility
1-14 Regulatory Act (Article 1446c, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is
1-15 amended by adding subdivision (4), to read as follows:
1-16 (4) In determining just and reasonable telecommunications
1-17 rates for educational institutions, the commission shall implement
1-18 the following regulatory treatment:
1-19 (A) for purposes of allocating costs and designing
1-20 rates for each telecommunications utility, educational institutions
1-21 shall be treated as a separate customer class;
1-22 (B) for single line local exchange service, the
1-23 commission shall establish a flat rate, such rate being no greater
2-1 than that established for the utility's residential class of
2-2 customers in each rate group;
2-3 (C) for single line local exchange service used to
2-4 access the Texas Education Network, its successors and assigns, or
2-5 any other data or voice network that assists in or is related to
2-6 education, including school/parent communications systems, the
2-7 commission shall establish a flat rate, such rate being no greater
2-8 than that established for the utility's residential class of
2-9 customers in each rate group;
2-10 (D) for service using dedicated private lines
2-11 operating at 56 kilobits per second or greater and used to access
2-12 the Texas Education Network, its successors and assigns, or any
2-13 other data or voice network that assists in or is related to
2-14 education, including school/parent communications systems, the
2-15 commission shall not establish or maintain rates that are greater
2-16 than two and one-half (2 1/2) times the rate available to the
2-17 utility's residential class of customers in each rate group;
2-18 (E) for service using dedicated private lines
2-19 operating at 1.5 megabits per second or greater and used to access
2-20 the Texas Education Network, its successors and assigns, or any
2-21 other data or voice network that assists in or is related to
2-22 education, including school/parent communications systems, the
2-23 commission shall not establish or maintain rates that are greater
2-24 than seven and one-half (7 1/2) times the rate available to the
2-25 utility's residential class of customers in each rate group; and
3-1 (F) for multiline business service, PBX service, or
3-2 central office based PBX-type service, the commission shall not
3-3 establish a rate greater than fifty percent (50%) of the utility's
3-4 otherwise applicable rate for each type of service.
3-5 (G) In establishing rates under subsections (B)
3-6 through (F) of this section, the commission shall be guided by
3-7 sound ratemaking principles, and shall in no event establish rates
3-8 that are less than a utility's long run incremental costs of
3-9 providing those services, as enumerated in subsections (B) through
3-10 (F) above, to educational institution.
3-11 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
3-12 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
3-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.