Minnesota Session Laws - 1999, Regular Session

                            CHAPTER 228-H.F.No. 1778 
                  An act relating to telecommunications; providing for 
                  telecommunications pricing plans for state government 
                  under oversight of public utilities commission; 
                  correcting a repealer; amending Laws 1997, chapter 
                  123, section 11; proposing coding for new law in 
                  Minnesota Statutes, chapter 237. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  [237.066] [STATE GOVERNMENT PRICING PLANS.] 
           Subdivision 1.  [PURPOSE.] A state government 
        telecommunications pricing plan is authorized and found to be in 
        the public interest as it will: 
           (1) provide and assure availability of high quality, 
        technologically advanced telecommunications services at a 
        reasonable cost to the state; and 
           (2) further the state telecommunications goals as set forth 
        in section 237.011. 
           Subd. 2.  [PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.] A state government 
        telecommunications pricing plan may be available to serve 
        individually or collectively:  state agencies; educational 
        institutions, including public schools complying with section 
        120A.05, subdivision 9, 11, 13, or 17, and nonpublic schools 
        complying with sections 120A.22, 120A.24, and 120A.41; private 
        colleges; public corporations; and political subdivisions of the 
        state.  Plans shall be available to carry out the commissioner 
        of administration's duties under sections 16B.46 and 16B.465 and 
        shall also be available to those entities not using the 
        commissioner for contracting for telecommunications services. 
           Subd. 3.  [RATES.] Notwithstanding section 237.09, 237.14, 
        237.60, subdivision 3, or 237.74, a telephone company or a 
        telecommunications carrier may, individually or in cooperation 
        with other telephone companies or telecommunications carriers, 
        develop and offer basic or advanced telecommunications services 
        at discounted or reduced rates as a state government 
        telecommunications pricing plan.  Any telecommunications 
        services provided under any state government telecommunications 
        pricing plan shall be used exclusively by those entities 
        described in subdivision 2 subject to the plan solely for their 
        own use and shall not be made available to any other entities by 
        resale, sublease, or in any other way. 
           Subd. 4.  [APPLICABILITY TO OTHER CUSTOMERS.] A telephone 
        company or telecommunications carrier providing 
        telecommunications services under a state government 
        telecommunications pricing plan is not required to provide any 
        other person or entity those services at the rates made 
        available to the state. 
           Subd. 5.  [COMMISSION REVIEW.] The terms and conditions of 
        any state government telecommunications pricing plan must be 
        submitted to the commission for its review and approval within 
        90 days before implementation to: 
           (1) ensure that the terms and conditions benefit the state 
        and not any private entity; 
           (2) ensure that the rates for any telecommunications 
        service in any state government telecommunications pricing plan 
        are at or below any applicable tariffed rates; and 
           (3) ensure that the state telecommunications pricing plan 
        meets the requirements of this section and is in the public 
        interest. 
           The commission shall reject any state government 
        telecommunications pricing plan that does not meet these 
        criteria. 
           Sec. 2.  Laws 1997, chapter 123, section 11, is amended to 
        read: 
           Sec. 11.  [REPEALER.] 
           Section 4, subdivision 5, paragraph (b), is repealed, 
        effective June 30, 1999. 
           Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
           Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
        enactment. 
           Presented to the governor May 21, 1999 
           Signed by the governor May 25, 1999, 11:26 a.m.