49-31-59.1. Legislative intent--Joint provisioning and revenue-pooling arrangements--Commission review and approval--Exemptions--Construction.

It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage telecommunications companies to more efficiently meet the infrastructure deployment goal described in §§ 49-31-60 and 49-31-61 for a fully integrated SONET backbone of interconnected survivable rings. To that end, telecommunications companies may jointly provide facilities and enter into revenue-pooling arrangements between and among themselves relating to the provisioning of these facilities. Any such arrangement shall be subject to commission review and approval and, to the extent it has received such approval, may not be construed as violating any state or local laws governing unfair trade practices, antitrust or restraint of trade. Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that any such approved arrangement shall be exempt from federal laws governing unfair trade practices, antitrust, or restraint of trade. Except with respect to such joint provisioning of facilities and revenue pooling arrangements approved by the commission, both state and federal laws governing unfair trade practices, antitrust, and restraint of trade shall apply with full force and effect. The joint provisioning of facilities within an arrangement consistent with the limited purpose described in this section may not be construed as imposing additional common carrier obligations on the participating companies. The provisions of this section may not be construed to permit any telecommunications company to take any action that is contrary to the public interest.

Source: SL 1998, ch 274, § 27.