PSC 167.03 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
PSC 167.04
PSC 167.04
Petition; procedural provisions; challenge. PSC 167.04(1)(1) The representative designated in the petition shall certify that the signatures on the petition are valid.
PSC 167.04(2)
(2) Petitioners shall serve a copy of the petition on the telephone utility serving their exchange and on the telephone utility serving the exchange or exchanges with which extended area telephone service is requested.
PSC 167.04(3)
(3) Copies of the petition for extended area telephone service shall be kept on file for inspection during the pendency of the request at the commission and at the telephone utilities.
PSC 167.04(4)
(4) Any person wishing to challenge the validity of a petition for extended area telephone service may do so by filing a written protest with the commission identifying the grounds for the challenge within 30 days of the filing of the petition.
PSC 167.04 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
PSC 167.05
PSC 167.05
Petition; criteria for consideration. PSC 167.05(1)(1) The commission shall consider a petition meeting the requirements of
s. PSC 167.03 only if the petition is signed by at least 10% of the customers in the exchange from which extended area telephone service is requested.
PSC 167.05(2)
(2) The commission shall also consider a request for extended area telephone service if submitted by a telephone utility providing service in an exchange for which extended area telephone service is requested. Such a request shall be treated as a petition for purposes of
ss. PSC 167.06 to
167.10.
PSC 167.05 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
PSC 167.06(1)(1) If a petition meets the requirements of
s. PSC 167.05, the commission shall direct the utilities involved to undertake a study of representative traffic between the exchanges for which extended area service is requested. To warrant further examination of extended area service, the traffic study must indicate that:
PSC 167.06(1)(a)
(a) The customers in at least one of the exchanges place an average of not fewer than 5 messages per month, per customer, to the exchange with which extended area service is requested; and
PSC 167.06(1)(b)
(b) 50% of the customers in at least one of the exchanges place not fewer than 3 messages per month to the exchange with which extended area service is requested.
PSC 167.06(2)
(2) If the criteria of
sub. (1) (a) and
(b) are not met, the commission shall deny the petition for extended area service. The commission need not consider a petition for extended area service between the same exchanges for 2 years from the date of denial.
PSC 167.06(3)
(3) The commission may waive or vary the provisions of this section of the rules in special or unusual situations involving requests for extended area service where none of the involved exchanges serves more than 10,000 access lines.
PSC 167.06 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
PSC 167.07(1)(1) If the criteria of
s. PSC 167.06 (1) (a) and
(b) are satisfied, the commission shall direct the telephone utilities to conduct and submit to the commission an economic study of the requested extended area service. The study shall contain information from which the commission can determine the additional revenue requirement for each exchange necessary to provide the requested service and the rate increments for each class of customer necessary to meet the additional revenue requirement.
PSC 167.07(2)
(2) Revenue requirements shall be allocated among exchanges in recognition of the ratio or the calling volume data (on a per customer basis) obtained from the traffic studies. In cases where the ratio is greater than 10:1, all revenue requirement shall generally be allocated to the exchange from which the larger calling volume originates. In cases where one-way service is being considered all revenue requirement shall generally be allocated to the exchange that would be provided with the service.
PSC 167.07 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
PSC 167.08(1)(1) In this section, "customer" does not include any person who is provided with free local telephone service, or who for any reason would be exempt from a rate increase if extended area telephone service is approved.
PSC 167.08(2)(a)(a) Subsequent to the determination of the rate increments necessary to provide the requested extended area service, or a reasonable variation of the requested service, the commission shall direct the utilities to conduct a survey of customer willingness to pay the necessary rate increments.
PSC 167.08(2)(b)
(b) The survey ballot and accompanying information shall be approved by the commission. Ballots shall be mailed separately from the telephone bill and the words "Ballot Enclosed" shall appear on the front of the mailing. Ballots shall be addressed for return to the commission with no additional postage required. Ballots shall have space for the customer signature, printed name and telephone number. The information accompanying the ballot shall indicate:
PSC 167.08(2)(b)1.
1. The number of customers served by the balloted exchange at the time of balloting.
PSC 167.08(2)(b)3.
3. The date determined by the commission by which ballots must be postmarked or filed with the commission in order to be considered valid.
PSC 167.08(3)(a)(a) Ballots shall be distributed to all customers who may experience a rate increase if the petition for extended area telephone service is granted.
PSC 167.08(3)(b)
(b) Ballots shall be counted by the commission no earlier than one week after the deadline for the postmark or filing of ballots in
sub. (2) (b) 3. Only official ballots shall be accepted. If a ballot is returned unmarked or incomplete, or if, in the commission's judgment, the intent of the customer is not discernable from a ballot, the ballot shall not be counted as a "Yes" vote. Voting results, including preliminary totals, shall not be released prior to the official counting.
PSC 167.08(4)
(4) Unless at least 50% of the customers in one of the surveyed exchanges respond favorably to the requested service, or to a variation of the requested service, the petition shall be denied, and the commission need not consider any petition for extended area telephone service between those exchanges for 2 years.
PSC 167.08 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83;
CR 00-138: renum. (1) to be (2) (a) and am., cr. (1), (2) (b) and (3),
Register September 2001 No. 549, eff. 10-1-01.
PSC 167.09(1)(1) If at least 50% of the customers in one of the exchanges surveyed in accordance with
s. PSC 167.08 respond favorably to the requested extended area service at the proposed rate increment, the commission shall hold a public hearing to consider whether the petition should be granted.
PSC 167.09(2)
(2) In determining whether to grant or deny the petition for extended area telephone service, the commission shall consider such factors as adequacy of existing telephone service between the exchanges, costs and benefits of the proposed service and community of interest between the exchanges.
PSC 167.09 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
PSC 167.10
PSC 167.10
Metroplan. If the petition requests Milwaukee metroplan telephone service, the commission may consider the entire metroplan area to which extended area service is requested, or a variation thereof, as one exchange.
PSC 167.10 History
History: Cr.
Register, July, 1983, No. 331, eff. 8-1-83.
