LRB-0301/1
MDK:wlj:pg
2001 - 2002 LEGISLATURE
March 1, 2001 - Introduced by Representatives Black, Powers, Shilling, Musser,
Carpenter, Bock, Ryba, Berceau, Huber, La Fave, Young, Turner, Miller, J.
Lehman
and Cullen, cosponsored by Senators Baumgart, Robson and
Erpenbach. Referred to Joint committee on Information Policy and
Technology.
AB159,1,4 1An Act to repeal 196.80 (1g); and to amend 196.795 (1) (h) 2. of the statutes;
2relating to: requiring public service commission approval of mergers,
3consolidations, and certain other transactions involving telecommunications
4utilities.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the following transactions involving public utilities, except
for telecommunications utilities, require the prior written approval of the public
service commission (PSC): mergers, consolidations, stock acquisitions or sales,
acquisitions, leases, or rentals of certain types of plant or property. PSC approval is
not required if the transaction involves a telecommunications utility. Under this bill,
transactions involving telecommunications utilities require the same prior PSC
approval that is required for transactions involving other public utilities under
current law.
Also under current law, a person may not acquire more than 10% of the
outstanding voting securities of certain public utility holding companies unless the
PSC has determined that the acquisition is in the best interests of utility consumers,
investors, and the public. This prohibition does not apply to public utility holding
companies that hold telecommunications utilities and no other public utilities. This
bill repeals this exception to the prohibition.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB159, s. 1 1Section 1. 196.795 (1) (h) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB159,2,52 196.795 (1) (h) 2. "Holding company", except for purposes of s. 196.795 (3) and
3(11) (b), does not mean any company which that owns, operates, manages, or controls
4a telecommunications utility, unless such company also owns, operates, manages, or
5controls a public utility which that is not a telecommunications utility.
AB159, s. 2 6Section 2. 196.80 (1g) of the statutes is repealed.
AB159, s. 3 7Section 3. Initial applicability.
AB159,2,108 (1) This act first applies to mergers, consolidations, takings, holdings,
9acquisitions, sales, leases, or rentals that have not been approved by the federal
10communications commission on the effective date of this subsection.
AB159,2,1111 (End)
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