PENNSYLVANIA PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105-3265
IN RE: FORMAL INVESTIGATION TO EXAMINE AND ESTABLISH UPDATED PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES IN THE COMMONWEALTH; FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE UNIVERSAL TELEPHONE SERVICE TASK FORCE
PUBLIC MEETING-OCTOBER 9, 1997
OCT-97-C-12*
DOCKET NO. I-940035
JOINT MOTION OF
VICE CHAIRMAN ROBERT K. BLOOM AND COMMISSIONER DAVID W. ROLKA
We are pleased to sponsor this Joint Motion to tentatively approve the Final Report and Recommendation of the Universal Telephone Service Task Force. The Report was filed on September 29, 1997, after its unanimous adoption by the more than 30 members of the Task Force.
The Task Force recommends that the Commission tentatively approve the Final Report and Recommendation and requests comment by any interested person. The Governor's Office, with the cooperation of the Public Utility Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Education, is coordinating an on-line seminar on universal telephone service pursuant to the request of the Information Renaissance. The Task Force Report already has been posted electronically to the website of the Information Renaissance to facilitate the on-line conference. The Task Force requests the opportunity to review the comments and input arising from the on-line seminar and other public comments and make recommendations to the Commission on what, if any, of the recommendations should be modified once these matters are concluded.
We commend the efforts of the individual members of the Task Force; the Chairs of the four Subcommittees: Basic Universal Service Costing Models; Schools and Libraries; Health Care Institutions and Monitoring & Reporting/Subscribership Issues; and, the leadership of the Task Force. Their efforts will go a long way toward maximizing the positive benefits of Pennsylvania Act 67 of 1994 (Chapter 30) and The Telecommunications Act of 1996, for Pennsylvania citizens. The Final Report and Recommendation constitutes the beginning of a virtual blue print for action, as well as a recap of the Interim Reports of the Task Force and prior actions of the Commission to facilitate universal telephone service.
This report should be publicly released and we encourage interested parties to submit comments. We accept the procedural recommendations of the Task Force as providing an efficient mechanism for digesting the additional public comments that may be submitted. We also welcome the comments being developed via the on-line seminar sponsored by the Governor's Office for Information Technology. In recognition of the fact that the issues and recommendations relate to a program and activities of significant interest and potential benefit to the Commonwealth's citizens we welcome comments on an effective mechanism to sustain the efforts of the Task Force in issue identification, recommendations, monitoring and evaluation.
We are particularly pleased by the accomplishments of this diverse group of public and private interested parties that are reflected in the various Interim Reports as well as the Final Report and Recommendation. This Task Force reflects outstanding cooperation among various intergovernmental entities: the Governor's Office for Information Technology; the Departments of Education and Health; the Rural Development Council; the Center for Rural Pennsylvania; the Rural Utilities Service; the Office of Consumer Advocate and the Office of Small Business Advocate. A similarly diverse group of private interest groups also contributed to the Task Force, such as representatives of all components of the telecommunications industry; the education and health communities. We expect these groups to continue the dialogue and information exchange that the Task Force has cultivated.
WE, THEREFORE, MOVE THAT:
1. The Commission adopt the attached Tentative Order;
2. Notice of the availability of the Task Force Report and the attached Tentative Order should be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and the Report and Order should be posted electronically to the Pennsylvania PUC's website, and links to the Report should be encouraged to be implemented by other Commonwealth agency members of the Task Force;
3 Interested parties should be given 21 days from the date of legal publication of the Notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin within which to submit an original and 15 copies of comments on the Task Force Final Report and Recommendation;
4. The results of the on-line seminar on universal telephone service coordinated by the Information Renaissance should be formally filed in this Investigation Docket by no later than the deadline established for submitting comments on the Task Force Final Report and Recommendation;
5. The Universal Telephone Service Task Force should be directed to submit to the Commission its recommendations following review of the public comments and results of the on-line seminar regarding what, if any, modifications to the Report should be made, within 45 days of the deadline for the submission of public comments;
6. This matter should be assigned to the Law Bureau to effectuate the appropriate publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin;
7. In addition to serving all parties of record, copies of the Tentative Order should be served on all members of the Task Force; and
8. Following the receipt of the Task Force's 45 day recommendation, the Commission should issue a Final Order addressing the Final Report and Recommendation of the Task Force and comments received from interested parties.
______________________________________
ROBERT K. BLOOM, VICE CHAIRMAN
Dated:__________________________________
_______________________________________
DAVID W. ROLKA, COMMISSIONER
Dated:________________________________