| (ii) If the DCTU and PLTS customer enter into a deferred
payment, the initial deferred payment shall be billed beginning with
the third billing cycle after initiation of service and on a monthly
basis thereafter.
(5) Customer deposit. No deposit shall be required
from any residential applicant for PLTS.
(6) Disconnection of PLTS.
(A) Disconnection with notice. A DCTU may disconnect
PLTS after notice for any of the following reasons:
(i) failure to comply with the terms of a deferred
payment plan for PLTS;
(ii) upon conclusion of all periods for which an advance
payment has been applied to the PLTS account and when the customer's
PLTS account has a zero balance; or
(iii) violation of the DCTU's rules on using PLTS in
a manner which interferes with the service of others or the operation
of nonstandard equipment, if a reasonable attempt has been made to
notify the customer and the customer has a reasonable opportunity
to remedy the situation.
(B) Disconnection without notice. A DCTU may immediately
disconnect PLTS without notice:
(i) if the customer accrues new charges for toll or
other services on the telephone bill as described in paragraph (3)
of this subsection;
(ii) where a known dangerous condition exists for as
long as the condition exists; or
(iii) where service is connected without authority
by a person who has not applied for the service or who has reconnected
service without authority after termination.
(C) Notice after disconnection. If a PLTS customer
is disconnected under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph, a
DCTU shall send a final notice stating that the customer is permanently
disconnected from PLTS and that the customer shall not be eligible
for PLTS from that DCTU. That notice shall also state the terms and
conditions that the customer must satisfy before the customer can
return to basic local telecommunications service.
(f) Return to basic local telecommunications service.
(1) A customer subscribing to PLTS may return to basic
local telecommunications service if the customer has paid:
(A) all outstanding debt to the DCTU, including the
carriage charges of interexchange carriers where the DCTU bills those
charges pursuant to tariffs or contracts; and
(B) bills for PLTS.
(2) When a customer completes the obligations identified
in paragraph (1) of this subsection, a DCTU shall notify the customer
of the:
(A) eligibility requirements for returning to basic
local telecommunications services;
(B) option of receiving basic local telecommunications
service with toll blocking and/or usage sensitive blocking; and
(C) requirement to contact the DCTU if the customer
wants to return to basic local telecommunications service.
(3) If the customer is eligible to return to basic
local telecommunications service, the customer shall:
(A) request basic local telecommunications service
from the DCTU; and
(B) pay the service restoration fee, if applicable.
(g) Customer education.
(1) The commission shall provide information about
the PLTS plan to customers.
(2) A DCTU subject to the requirements of this section
shall provide information about the PLTS plan annually in customers'
bills. This information shall be subject to review during the DCTU's
compliance filing.
(3) A DCTU or its affiliate publishing a white pages
directory on behalf of the DCTU shall disclose in clear language the
availability, terms, and conditions of the PLTS plan in the section
of the directory stating the rights of a customer.
(h) Toll and usage sensitive blocking capability.
(1) The DCTU shall provide toll blocking and usage
sensitive blocking to its maximum technical capability.
(A) If the DCTU's tariffs reflect its maximum technical
capability, it shall provide toll blocking and usage sensitive blocking
as stated in those tariffs.
(B) If the DCTU's tariffs do not reflect its maximum
technical blocking capability, it shall inform the commission of the
maximum level of blocking it is required to provide under PLTS in
its compliance filings.
(C) If the DCTU does not have a tariff for toll or
usage sensitive blocking but has such technical capability, it shall
inform the commission of the maximum level of blocking it is required
to provide under PLTS in its compliance filings.
(D) As the DCTU's blocking capability increases, it
shall notify the commission and provide such enhanced blocking under
PLTS.
(2) Where technically capable, toll blocking shall
not deny access to toll-free numbers.
(3) When imposing a toll or usage sensitive services
block, the DCTU shall do so in a manner that is not unreasonably preferential,
prejudicial, or discriminatory.
(i) Waiver request.
(1) A DCTU may request exemption from the requirements
of this section, on a wire-center by wire-center basis, if it cannot
meet the toll blocking and/or usage sensitive requirements.
(2) A DCTU requesting a waiver shall fully document
in its compliance filings the technical reasons for its inability
to toll and/or usage sensitive block and indicate when such technical
capability will be available in the wire center.
(3) A waiver shall expire when the DCTU acquires the
capability to block toll and/or usage sensitive services or when the
DCTU is required to acquire the capability to toll and/or usage sensitive
block by federal or state law or regulations, whichever comes first.
The DCTU shall notify the commission in writing within 30 days of
acquiring or being required to acquire the capability.
(j) Interexchange carrier (IXC) notification. A DCTU
serving 31,000 or more access lines and that is not a cooperative
corporation shall:
(1) Within 24 hours after a customer subscribes to
PLTS, include a notice in the Customer Access Record Exchange (CARE)
or similar report if developed by the DCTU, and the Line Identification
Database (LIDB) indicating that the customer is subscribed to PLTS
and any number changes;
(2) Make access to the information contained in LIDB
available to all IXCs serving the customer's area; and
(3) If CARE, or similar report if developed by the
DCTU, and LIDB are not available, the DCTU shall specify in its tariffs
a comparable method of providing such notice to IXCs serving the area
indicating a customer's subscription to PLTS; and
(4) This subsection should not be interpreted as expanding
access to CARE, or similar report if developed by the DCTU, to IXCs
other than the customers' presubscribed carriers.
|
| Source Note: The provisions of this §26.29 adopted to be effective May 6, 1999, 24 TexReg 3329; amended to be effective December 29, 1999, 24 TexReg 11728; amended to be effective April 4, 2012, 37 TexReg 2178 |
