HB 1461-S - DIGEST

(DIGEST OF PROPOSED 1ST SUBSTITUTE)

     Finds that universal telephone service is an important policy goal of the state.

     Finds that recent changes in the telecommunications industry, such as federal access charges, raise concerns about the ability of low-income persons to continue to afford access to local exchange telephone service, and many low-income persons do not have a permanent residence in which to receive local exchange telephone service.

     Finds that it is in the public interest to take steps to mitigate the effects of these changes on low-income persons, and advances in telecommunications technologies, such as community voice mail, provide new and economically efficient ways to secure many of the benefits of universal service to low-income persons who are not customers of local exchange telephone service.