2006 Alabama Code - Section 37-2A-8 — Provision of basic telephone service and optional telephone features.

(a)(1) An incumbent local exchange carrier shall provide, upon reasonable request, basic telephone service to the premises of a permanent residence or business within its franchised service territory, if the costs, including, but not limited to costs of facilities, rights-of-way, and equipment, of providing basic telephone service to the requesting party does not exceed eight thousand dollars ($8,000).

(2) If the cost exceeds eight thousand dollars ($8,000), as provided in subdivision (1), an incumbent local exchange carrier may not deny service on the basis of cost so long as sufficient funds to provide that service are available from the Alabama portion of the applicable federal universal service fund program.

(b)(1) Beginning February 1, 2007, the retail price for basic telephone service to be offered by incumbent local exchange carriers shall not exceed the highest price charged by the incumbent local exchange carrier on January 31, 2007.

(2) Beginning January 1, 2008, and every succeeding January 1, the retail rates for basic telephone service may not be increased by the incumbent local exchange carrier to exceed the rates of the previous year as of January 1, plus any increase in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

(3) a. Each optional telephone feature in a bundled offering must be available on a stand-alone basis under a tariff on file with the commission. If a bundled offering is offered by a local exchange carrier, the carrier shall have a basic telephone service tariffed offering for residential customers and business customers having one or two lines on file with the commission.

b. Beginning January 1, 2008, increases in tariffed rates for optional telephone features may not exceed five percent per optional telephone feature per year.

c. A bundled offering that consists solely of basic telephone service and optional telephone features must be priced at or below the sum of the tariffed price of basic telephone service and the tariffed price of the associated optional telephone features.

(Act 2005-110, p. 163, §1.)