Iowa Board Posts Draft Telecom Bill

authorized by this chapter and may obtain from a telecommunications service provider all necessary information to enable the board to perform its duties as authorized herein,” said the draft posted Wednesday in docket NOI-2021-0002. The board would have authority to investigate complaints about service quality, outages lasting more than 48 hours, failure to respond to customer complaints within 10 days, unauthorized changes in telecom providers or services and failure to repair or remove damaged, downed or partially installed communication lines within 10 days of being notified. Telecom providers found in violation, including interconnected VoIP or wireless providers, could be subject to civil penalties or have eligible telecom carrier designations or other certificates suspended or revoked, it said. Also, the draft bill would require the board to "adopt rules concerning universal service and duties related to designation and oversight of eligible telecommunications carriers" that are consistent with FCC regulations. Those rules should address application requirements, service area covered by designation, compliance standards, reporting obligations and non-compliance penalties, it said. The draft also covers issues including video relay service, cable franchises and public, education and governmental access channels. The draft bill follows workshops, technical conferences and written comments over the past year, an IUB spokesperson emailed. “The docket goal was to evaluate a bill draft for the 2023 legislative session and prepare a recommendation for the Board in order to meet legislative drafting deadlines.” Industry raised concerns about expanding authority to VoIP and wireless in comments earlier this year (see 2205230029).