Minnesota Administrative Rules

7817.0300 FUNDING.

Subpart 1.

Uniform statewide monthly surcharge.

The telephone assistance plan must be funded through the assessment of a uniform recurring monthly surcharge, not to exceed ten cents per access line, applicable to all classes and grades of access lines provided by each local service provider in the state. Each local service provider or the provider's billing agent shall combine surcharges for the telephone assistance plan, Telephone Access Minnesota, and Emergency 911 Service into one amount on billing statements sent to subscribers. The commission shall determine the level of the surcharge on an annual basis. The recalculated surcharge shall be effective on a date established by the commission.

Subp. 2.

Collection of surcharge revenues.

A local service provider shall bill the surcharge and collect the surcharge revenues. At the time of reporting under part 7817.0900, subpart 3, item H, a local service provider shall notify the commission if a subscriber does not pay the surcharge.

Subp. 3.

Use of surcharge revenues and fund.

A local service provider shall remit, under Minnesota Statutes, section 403.11, surcharge revenues to the commissioner of public safety for deposit in the telephone assistance fund. The commission shall use the money in the telephone assistance fund to:

A.

reimburse the telephone assistance credits extended by a local service provider within 60 days of the deadline for filing the local service provider's report under part 7817.0900 or the date the report is filed, whichever occurs later;

B.

reimburse the administrative expenses of the commission not to exceed the amount specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 237.701; and

C.

reimburse a local service provider's administrative expenses in accordance with subpart 4.

Subp. 4.

Reimbursing local service provider expenses.

The commission shall reimburse local service provider expenses as provided in items A to E.

A.

The commission shall reimburse only with money in the telephone assistance fund.

B.

The commission shall not reimburse the expenses of collecting the surcharge.

C.

The commission shall not reimburse expenses under this subpart unless the local service provider has filed a report that complies with part 7817.0900. The commission shall reimburse the local service provider within 60 days after the deadline for filing its report under part 7817.0900 or the date the report is filed, whichever occurs later.

D.

A local service provider with five or more new TAP participants enrolled during the reporting period for which reimbursement is sought must be reimbursed for expenses actually incurred and claimed up to an amount no greater than the number of new participants enrolled during the reporting period times one of the following:

(1)

the provider's tariffed service order record change charge; or

(2)

the provider's tariffed TAP enrollment charge determined under subpart 5.

E.

A local service provider with fewer than five new TAP participants enrolled during the reporting period for which reimbursement is sought must be reimbursed for expenses actually incurred and claimed up to an amount no greater than five times one of the following:

(1)

the provider's tariffed service order record change charge; or

(2)

the provider's tariffed TAP enrollment charge determined under subpart 5.

Subp. 5.

TAP enrollment charge.

A local service provider may petition the commission to establish a TAP enrollment charge for the provider, which may differ from the provider's service order record change charge. The TAP enrollment charge must be determined according to items A and B.

A.

A provider's petition to establish a TAP enrollment charge must include financial and cost-study information adequate to support the provider's proposed TAP enrollment charge. The commission may accept, modify, or reject the provider's petition.

B.

A TAP enrollment charge must be based exclusively on the cost of one or more of the following provider activities directly related to administering TAP:

(1)

responding to customer inquiries regarding TAP;

(2)

mailing TAP applications to customers;

(3)

changing manual or computerized customer records and billing systems to reflect the addition or removal of a customer's TAP credit;

(4)

sending annual notice of TAP to all subscribers;

(5)

removing customers from TAP when they are found to be ineligible;

(6)

storing TAP applications;

(7)

remitting surcharge revenues to the commissioner of public safety as required by part 7817.0300, subpart 3; and

(8)

reporting to the Public Utilities Commission and Department of Commerce under part 7817.0900, subparts 2 to 4.

Subp. 6.

[Repealed, 34 SR 818]

Statutory Authority:

MS s 237.10; 237.69 to 237.711

History:

12 SR 1256; 13 SR 2283; 15 SR 2734; L 2001 1Sp4 art 6 s 1; 34 SR 818

Published Electronically:

December 15, 2009