Ohio § 4927.13

§ 4927.13.

(A) An incumbent local exchange carrier that is an eligible telecommunications carrier

under 47 C.F.R. 54.201 shall implement lifeline service throughout the carrier's traditional service area

for its eligible residential customers. (1) Lifeline service shall consist of all of the following: (a) Monthly access line service at a recurring discount to the monthly basic local exchange

service rate that provides for the maximum contribution of federally available assistance; (b) Not more than once per customer at a single address in a twelve-month period, a waiver

of all nonrecurring service order charges for establishing service; (c) Free blocking of toll service, 900 service, and 976 service. The carrier may offer to lifeline service customers any other services and bundles

or packages of services at the prevailing prices, less the lifeline discount. (2) The carrier also shall offer special payment arrangements to lifeline service customers

that have past due bills for regulated local service charges, with the initial payment

not to exceed twenty-five dollars before service is installed, and the balance for

regulated local service charges to be paid over six, equal, monthly payments.  Lifeline service customers with past due bills for toll service charges shall have

toll restricted service until the past due toll service charges have been paid or

until the customer establishes service with another toll service provider. (3)(a) Every incumbent local exchange carrier required to implement lifeline service under

division (A) of this section shall establish an annual marketing budget for promoting

lifeline service and performing outreach regarding lifeline service.  All funds allocated to this budget shall be spent for the promotion and marketing

of lifeline service and outreach regarding lifeline service and only for those purposes

and not for any administrative costs of implementing lifeline service.  All activities relating to the promotion of, marketing of, and outreach regarding

lifeline service shall be coordinated through a single advisory board composed of

staff of the public utilities commission, the office of the consumers' counsel, consumer

groups representing low-income constituents, two representatives from the Ohio association

of community action agencies, and, except as provided in division (A)(3)(b) of this

section, every incumbent local exchange carrier required to implement lifeline service

under division (A) of this section.  The public utilities commission may review and approve decisions of the advisory

board in accordance with commission rules, including decisions on how the lifeline

marketing, promotion, and outreach activities are implemented. (b) Division (A)(3)(a) of this section does not apply to an incumbent local exchange

carrier with fewer than fifty thousand access lines. (4) All other aspects of the carrier's state-specific lifeline service shall be consistent

with federal requirements. (B) The rates, terms, and conditions for the carrier's lifeline service shall be tariffed

in the manner prescribed by rule adopted by the public utilities commission. (C)(1) Eligibility for lifeline service under division (A) of this section shall be based

on either of the following criteria: (a) An individual's verifiable participation in any federal or state low-income assistance

program, specified in rules adopted by the commission, that limits assistance based

on household income; (b) Other verification that an individual's household income is consistent with the income

eligibility threshold in 47 C.F.R. 54.409(a)(1) . The public utilities commission shall adopt rules establishing requirements for the

implementation of automatic enrollment of eligible individuals for lifeline assistance.  The public utilities commission shall work with the appropriate state agencies that

administer federal or state low-income assistance programs and with carriers to negotiate

and acquire information necessary to verify an individual's eligibility and the data

necessary to automatically enroll eligible individuals for lifeline service.  Every incumbent local exchange carrier required to implement lifeline service under

division (A) of this section shall implement automatic enrollment in accordance with

the applicable rules of the public utilities commission and to the extent that appropriate

state agencies are able to accommodate the automatic enrollment. (2) The carrier shall provide written notification if the carrier determines that an

individual is not eligible for lifeline service and shall provide the individual an

additional thirty days to prove eligibility. (3) The carrier shall provide written customer notification if a customer's lifeline

service is to be terminated due to failure to submit acceptable documentation for

continued eligibility for that assistance and shall provide the customer an additional

thirty days to submit acceptable documentation of continued eligibility or dispute

the carrier's findings regarding termination of the lifeline service. (D) An incumbent local exchange carrier required to implement lifeline service under

division (A) of this section may recover from end users of the carrier's telecommunications

service other than lifeline service customers, by a method approved by the public

utilities commission, any lifeline service discounts and any other lifeline service

expenses that the public utilities commission prescribes by rule and that are not

recovered through federal or state funding, except for expenses incurred under division

(A)(3)(a) of this section.  A carrier seeking recovery of discounts or expenses shall, in accordance with rules

adopted by the public utilities commission, apply to the public utilities commission

for approval of the method of recovery.  If the method of recovery includes a customer billing surcharge, the public utilities

commission shall prescribe by rule how the surcharge is to be identified on customer

bills. (E) Every incumbent local exchange carrier required to implement lifeline service under

division (A) of this section shall annually file with the public utilities commission

a report that identifies the number of its customers who receive, at the time of the

filing of the report, lifeline service.