CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

                  SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6046

                        55th Legislature

                      1997 Regular Session

Passed by the Senate April 19, 1997   YEAS 46   NAYS 0 President of the Senate Passed by the House April 8, 1997   YEAS 98   NAYS 0

CERTIFICATE I, Mike O=Connell, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is  SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6046 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

Speaker of the       House of Representatives

Secretary

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.

FILED

Governor of the State of Washington

Secretary of State                   State of Washington

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                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6046

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                      AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

             Passed Legislature - 1997 Regular Session

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Energy & Utilities (originally sponsored by Senator Finkbeiner)

Read first time 03/05/97.

Creating a study by the utilities and transportation commission on universal telecommunications service.  

    AN ACT Relating to a study by the utilities and transportation commission on universal telecommunications service; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that in a competitive telecommunications industry, telecommunications companies may be less inclined to invest in facilities to serve sparsely populated or hard-to-serve areas of the state.  The legislature further finds that in order to secure for all consumers of the state the benefits of high quality telecommunications service and evolving telecommunications technology, it is necessary to study the creation of a universal service fund.  The purpose of this fund would be to provide an incentive to telecommunications carriers to build facilities to provide universal service and to serve sparsely populated and hard-to-serve areas of the state while preserving to consumers in those areas the availability of telecommunications services at rates which are comparable to rates in urban areas and are affordable.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  By January 1, 1998, or within six months of the date the federal communications commission adopts universal service rules as required by the federal telecommunications act of 1996 (110 Stat. 56; P.L. 104‑104), whichever is later, the utilities and transportation commission shall study and make recommendations on the future of providing universal telecommunications services in this state.  The study shall include at least the following topics:  A recommended definition of basic service for telecommunications; an analysis of the range of potential telecommunications carriers, including wireless; an analysis of the proper cost methodologies for determining universal service funding; and options for generating and disbursing universal service funding.  The study shall be reported to the energy and utilities committees of the house of representatives and the senate.

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