Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 69. PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS

CHAPTER 3. REGULATION OF UTILITIES

Part 8. Montana Telecommunications Act

Payments From Fund -- Costs

69-3-845. Payments from fund -- costs. (1) Payments from the fund must be made from collected contributions by the fiscal agent to qualifying eligible telecommunications carriers, on a quarterly basis, pursuant to rules adopted by the commission.

(2) Only eligible telecommunications carriers that offer the telecommunications services described in 69-3-842(2) to all customers in a designated support area and that advertise the availability of the telecommunications services and the charges for the telecommunications services using media of general distribution may receive support from the fund for the designated support area.

(3) An eligible telecommunications carrier providing telecommunications services through resale of another telecommunications carrier's telecommunications services or facilities may not receive support for those telecommunications services or facilities if the rates charged to an eligible telecommunications carrier by the other telecommunications carrier have been reduced by a contribution from universal service funds under this section.

(4) Costs of administering the fund must be paid from the fund.

History: En. Sec. 15, Ch. 349, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 187, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 430, L. 2001.