SRC-AAA C.S.S.B. 253 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterC.S.S.B. 253
By: Barrientos
Economic Development
3-20-97
Committee Report (Substituted)


DIGEST 

Currently, telecommunications utilities may switch a customer's service,
without authorization from the customer, in a practice called slamming. As
a result of slamming, consumers may lose important service features,
receive lower quality service, or be charged higher rates.  Consumers may
also be denied the basic right to choose their telecommunications service.
This bill would make it illegal for telecommunications utilities to switch
a customer's service without customer authorization. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.S.B. 253 makes it illegal for  telecommunications
utilities to process a request from different telecommunications utilities
to serve a customer without customer authorization. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is granted to the Public Utility Commission in
SECTION 1 (Section 3.312, Article 1446c-0, V.T.C.S.)  of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Title IIIG, Article 1446c-0, V.T.C.S.,  by adding
Sections 3.312 and 3.313, as follows: 

Sec. 3.312. TELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITY SELECTION RULES.  Provides that it
is the policy of this state to ensure that all customers are protected
from the unauthorized switching of a telecommunications utility selected
by the customer.  Requires the Public Utility Commission (commission) to
adopt certain nondiscriminatory and competitively neutral rules to
implement this section, no later than November 1, 1997. 

Sec. 3.313. NOTICE OF IDENTITY OF INTEREXCHANGE CARRIER.  Requires a local
exchange company to print on the first page of each bill sent to a
customer, the customer's primary interexchange carrier where the local
exchange company provides billing services for the primary interexchange
carrier.  Authorizes the commission, for good cause, to waive this
requirement in exchanges served by incumbent local exchange companies
serving 31,000 access lines or less.  Sets forth other requirements for
the customer's bill. 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 3.051(c), Article 1446c-0, V.T.C.S., to make
conforming changes. 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1997.

SECTION 4. Emergency clause. 

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES

SECTION 1.

Deletes proposed SECTION 1.  Adds new SECTION 1, Title IIIG, Article
1446c-0, V.T.C.S.,  by adding Sections 3.312 and 3.313, regarding
telecommunications utility selection rules and notice of identity of
interexchange carriers. 
 
SECTION 2.

Deletes proposed SECTION 2.  Adds new SECTION 2, Section 3.051(c), Article
1446c-0, V.T.C.S., to make conforming changes. 

SECTIONS 3 and 4.

Adds SECTION 3 and 4, regarding the effective date and the emergency
clause.