Laserfiche WebLink
SUA11VIARY OF TAE <br /> MINNESOTA EMERGING CONV1 IUNICATIONS ACT OF 1995 <br /> I. WHY WE NEED NEW CON *fUNICATIONS LEGISLATION <br /> • Minnesota communications policy has evolved over this century in direct <br /> response to rapidly changing advances in the communications industry. <br /> Current Minnesota statutes which govern communications services have <br /> traditionally been associated with providers, as well as services. Statute <br /> section 237 is associated with telephone companies and "plain old telephone <br /> service" ("POTS") and section 238 is associated with,cable companies and <br /> "plain old cable service" ("POCS"). As new services and technologies have <br /> rapidly developed, traditional providers of either telephone or cable service <br /> now have the ability to offer the services of the other. Moreover, telephone <br /> and cable providers are now offering services which are not POTS or POCS. <br /> • New legislation is needed because of the new services which we refer to as <br /> "emerging communications services" provided by cable operators, telephone <br /> companies and other companies. When telephone service and cable service <br /> were new to Minnesota, appropriate legislation was enacted to regulate each of <br /> those services. Now that we have emerging communications services, we <br /> need a new statute section to encourage the development of emerging <br /> communications services throughout the state, to assure the continued <br /> regulation of current services and to protect the investment already made by <br /> the public in current communications services. <br /> S New legislation will address all providers of emerging communications <br /> services who utilize public property and public rights-of-way to construct, <br /> operate, maintain, offer or deliver such services. <br /> II. WHAT THE LEGISLATION SAYS <br /> A. OVERVIEW <br /> • Creates a new statute Minn. Stat. § 237A, which will regulate <br /> emerging communications services. <br /> • Applies only to services which are not regulated as "POTS" or "POCS" <br /> under Minnesota Statutes sections 237 and 238 (both amended to <br /> clearly delete all but "POTS" and "POCS"). The services governed by <br /> the new statute section are called "emerging communications services." <br /> 375539 _ 1 _ <br />