Rural Exemption Enhancement Act of 2001

Rural Exemption Enhancement Act of 2001 - Amends the Communication Act of 1934 to establish a separate process for State commission evaluation of rural and small telephone company exemptions, suspensions, or modifications for advanced telecommunication capabilities (as opposed to voice telecommunications services).

[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3142 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3142

  To establish a separate process for State commission evaluation of 
    rural and small telephone company exemptions, suspensions, and 
      modifications, with respect to advanced telecommunications 
                             capabilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 16, 2001

Mr. Radanovich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a separate process for State commission evaluation of 
    rural and small telephone company exemptions, suspensions, and 
      modifications, with respect to advanced telecommunications 
                             capabilities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Exemption Enhancement Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. PROCEDURE FOR LIFTING SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR RURAL AND SMALL 
              CARRIERS.

    Section 251(f) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(f)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Separate determinations with respect to advanced 
        telecommunications capabilities.--
                    ``(A) Separation from voice service 
                determinations.--The provisions of paragraph (1) and 
                (2) shall not be applied to grant or withdraw an 
                exemption from, or suspension or modification of, a 
                requirement or requirements with respect to an advanced 
                telecommunications capability as part of a 
                determination to grant or withdraw an exemption from, 
                or suspension or modification of, a requirement or 
                requirements with respect to voice communications 
                services. Any bona fide request for interconnection, 
                services, or network elements with regard to an 
                advanced telecommunications capability shall be made 
                separately from a request with regard to voice 
                telecommunications services. A requesting carrier shall 
                separately demonstrate to a State commission that the 
                request with regard to advanced telecommunications 
                capability meets the requirements found in paragraph 
                (1) or (2), as the case may be.
                    ``(B) Definition.--As used in this subsection, the 
                term `advanced telecommunications capability' has the 
                meaning given such term in section 706(c)(1) of the 
                Telecommunications Act of 1996.''.
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