First Regular Session

Sixty-second General Assembly

LLS NO. R99­0957.01 Duane Gall

STATE OF COLORADO




BY SENATOR Chlouber;

also REPRESENTATIVES Coleman, Takis, and Tate.

APPROPRIATIONS

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 99-049

CONCERNING AN INTERIM STUDY OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS ISSUES.


WHEREAS, In House Bill 95­1335, the General Assembly announced its intention to change the regulatory policy governing telecommunications in Colorado and to open the local exchange market to competition, effective July 1, 1996; and

WHEREAS, In anticipation of this policy change, the General Assembly established an interim committee and a working group of telecommunications industry and consumer representatives to conduct a thorough review of the issues involved and to recommend statutory and regulatory measures that should be taken to smooth the transition to a competitive local market; and

WHEREAS, This transition is taking place, albeit more slowly than had been anticipated; and

WHEREAS, Since July 1, 1996, Colorado has experienced radical changes, not only in the quality and variety of telecommunications services available to consumers but also in virtually every other economic, social, and demographic sphere; and

WHEREAS, To date, the General Assembly has not systematically or comprehensively attempted to gauge the progress of competition in the local telecommunications market since the passage of House Bill 95­1335; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly also has not had the benefit of an examination of telecommunications regulation in light of other economic, social, and demographic factors that have come into play in the intervening three years; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty­second General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

(1)  That there shall be a committee to meet in the interim after the First Regular Session of the Sixty­second General Assembly to consider issues raised by the continuing evolution and deregulation of telecommunications services in Colorado. Such interim committee shall consist of six members of the General Assembly. Three of such members shall be from the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and three of such members shall be from the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate. No more than two of the members from the House of Representatives and two of the members from the Senate shall be from the same political party. In particular, the issues considered by the committee shall include, without limitation:

(a)  The status of competition in Colorado telecommunications markets and the identification of any impediments to competition that may exist;

(b)  The criteria to be used to determine when a telecommunications service is generally available;

(c)  The advanced telecommunications services that are generally available in urban areas of the state;

(d)  The advanced telecommunications services that are generally available in rural areas of the state;

(e)  An identification of the costs associated with the deployment of access to advanced telecommunications services that are generally available in urban areas to rural areas of the state, including a cost­benefit analysis of policies encouraging "telecommuting" as a means of reducing suburban sprawl;

(f)  Options that might be considered in establishing additional support mechanisms or other methods of shared payment for the costs of ensuring the availability of advanced telecommunications services throughout the state and avoiding the arbitrary division of communities into different local calling areas;

(g)  An analysis of the level of competition existing for services such as interLATA toll, intraLATA toll, private line, and directory assistance to evaluate whether further deregulation of such services is warranted; and

(h)  An analysis of privacy issues raised by the sharing of customer information and routing of calls by and among competing carriers, particularly in regard to the secure conduct of electronic commerce.

(2)  That, in conducting such study, the interim committee shall consult with the Colorado public utilities commission and with representatives of counties, municipalities, telecommunications providers, consumer and environmental groups, chambers of commerce, and interested members of the public and may hold public hearings in locations outside the Denver metropolitan area as deemed necessary for purposes of the study. The study shall not require additional staff for any state agency or any additional appropriation to any such state agency.

(3)  That the interim committee may recommend and develop legislation to help local governments reduce impediments to the provision of high­quality, affordable telecommunications service to their citizens or modify state policies and programs that promote competition both locally and statewide.

(4)  That the Legislative Council shall report the findings and recommendations of the interim committee to the Second Regular Session of the Sixty­second General Assembly.

(5)  That all expenditures incurred in the conduct of the study enumerated in this resolution shall be approved by the chairperson of the Legislative Council and paid by vouchers and warrants drawn as provided by law from funds allocated to the Legislative Council from appropriations made by the General Assembly.