Chapter 196

196.199(3)(b) (b)

196.199(3)(b)1. 1. Before initiating an investigation of a complaint specified in par. (a) 1. b., the commission shall notify the parties to the agreement about the complaint. Within 5 business days after the parties receive notice under this subdivision, or within a shorter period of time specified by the commission in the notice, the commission shall do one of the following:

196.199(3)(b)1.a. a. If the alleged failure to comply is resolved to the satisfaction of the commission, the commission shall dismiss the complaint with respect to any issues that involve an alleged failure to comply.

196.199(3)(b)1.b. b. If the alleged failure to comply is not resolved to the satisfaction of the commission, the commission shall provide a notice to the parties that identifies the party who has allegedly failed to comply with the agreement.

196.199(3)(b)2. 2. No party to an interconnection agreement may file a complaint under par. (a) 1. a. or a petition under par. (a) 1g. unless the party has first notified the other parties to the agreement and provided an opportunity to resolve the alleged failure to comply or controversy over compliance to the satisfaction of the complaining or petitioning party within 5 business days, or a shorter period of time approved by the commission, after receipt of the notice. The commission shall promulgate rules establishing standards and procedures for approving a period of time shorter than 5 business days.

196.199(3)(c) (c) No person may make any filing in a proceeding under this subsection unless there is a nonfrivolous basis for doing so. A person may not make any filing in a proceeding under this subsection unless, to the best of the person’s knowledge, information and belief, formed after a reasonable inquiry, all of the following conditions are satisfied:

196.199(3)(c)1. 1. The filing is reasonably supported by applicable law.

196.199(3)(c)2. 2. The allegations and other factual contentions in the filing have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified in the filing, are likely to have evidentiary support after reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery.

196.199(3)(c)3. 3. The filing is not intended to harass a party to an interconnection agreement.

196.199(3)(c)4. 4. The filing is not intended to cause unnecessary delay in implementing an interconnection agreement or create a needless increase in the cost of litigation.

196.199(3)(d) (d) If, at any time during a proceeding under this subsection, the commission determines, after notice and reasonable opportunity to be heard, that a person has made a filing in violation of par. (c), the commission shall order the person to pay to any party to the proceeding the amount of reasonable expenses incurred by that party because of the filing, including reasonable attorney fees, and the commission may directly assess a forfeiture against the person of not less than $25 nor more than $5,000. A person against whom the commission assesses a forfeiture under this paragraph shall pay the forfeiture to the commission within 10 days after receipt of notice of the assessment or, if the person petitions for judicial review under ch. 227, within 10 days after receipt of the final decision after exhaustion of judicial review. The commission shall remit all forfeitures paid under this paragraph to the secretary of administration for deposit in the school fund. The attorney general may bring an action in the name of the state to collect any forfeiture assessed by the commission under this paragraph that has not been paid as provided in this paragraph. The only contestable issue in such an action is whether or not the forfeiture has been paid.

196.199(3)(e) (e) At any time during a proceeding under this subsection, the commission may, without holding a hearing, order a party to the interconnection agreement to take an action or refrain from taking an action that is related to complying with the agreement upon a showing by any other party to the proceeding of all of the following:

196.199(3)(e)1. 1. That there is a substantial probability that, at the conclusion of the proceeding, the commission will find that the party against whom the order is sought has failed to comply with the interconnection agreement.

196.199(3)(e)2. 2. For a complaint or petition filed by a party to an interconnection agreement, that the party against whom the order is sought is taking an action or failing to take an action that has a substantial adverse effect on the ability of the complaining or petitioning party to provide telecommunications service to its customers or potential customers.

196.199(3)(e)3. 3. That the order is in the public interest.

196.199(3)(f) (f) The commission may require a bond or other security of a person seeking an order under par. (e) to the effect that the person shall pay the party against whom the order is issued such damages and expenses, excluding attorney fees, in an amount specified by the commission, as that party may sustain by reason of the order if the commission determines under par. (g) that the person seeking the order was not entitled to the order.

196.199(3)(g) (g) Within 5 business days after receiving an order issued under par. (e), the party against whom the order is issued may request the commission to review the order. Within 30 days after receiving a request under this paragraph, the commission shall determine whether the person who sought the order under par. (e) was entitled to the order and shall terminate, continue or modify the order on such terms as the commission determines are appropriate. If the commission determines that the person was not entitled to the order, the commission may order the person to pay the damages and expenses, excluding attorney fees, sustained, by reason of the order, by the party against whom the order was issued. In making a determination under this paragraph, the commission may consider only the factors specified in par. (e) 1. to 3. and may consider information that the commission receives after the commission issued the order under par. (e).

196.199(4) (4) Penalties.

196.199(4)(a) (a)

196.199(4)(a)1. 1. If the commission issues an order under sub. (3) (a) 2. a. in which the commission finds that a party to an interconnection agreement has failed to comply with the agreement, the party shall forfeit not more than $15,000 or, if the failure is willful, not more than $40,000, except that if the party is a holding company that provides access under an interconnection agreement to 50,000 or less access lines in this state through affiliates that are small telecommunications utilities, or if the party is a small telecommunications utility, the forfeiture under this subdivision shall be not more than $7,500. For purposes of this subdivision, each day that a party fails to comply with an interconnection agreement is a separate failure to comply.

196.199(4)(a)2. 2. The maximum forfeiture that may be imposed under subd. 1. shall be trebled if either of the following conditions is satisfied and shall be sextupled if both of the following conditions are satisfied:

196.199(4)(a)2.a. a. The party’s failure to comply causes death or life-threatening or seriously debilitating injury.

196.199(4)(a)2.b. b. The party’s failure to comply continues after the party receives written notice of the commission’s order requiring compliance with the interconnection agreement.

196.199(4)(a)3. 3. In addition to a forfeiture imposed under subd. 1., a party to an interconnection agreement, approved by the commission, who has willfully failed to comply with the agreement shall forfeit an amount equal to not more than 2 times the gross value of the party’s economic gain resulting from the failure to comply.

196.199(4)(b) (b) A court shall consider each of the following in determining the amount of a forfeiture under par. (a):

196.199(4)(b)1. 1. The appropriateness of the forfeiture to the volume of business of the party that failed to comply with the agreement.

196.199(4)(b)2. 2. The gravity of the failure to comply.

196.199(4)(b)3. 3. Any good faith attempt to comply with the agreement after the party receives notice of a failure to comply.

196.199(4)(b)4. 4. Any other factor that the court determines is relevant.

196.199(4)(c) (c) In an action to recover a forfeiture under par. (a), a finding by the commission in a proceeding under this subsection that a party to an interconnection agreement has failed to comply with the agreement shall be, subject to review under s. 227.52, conclusive proof that the party failed to comply with the agreement.

196.199 History History: 1997 a. 218; 2003 a. 33.

196.199 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. PSC 179, Wis. adm. code.

196.20 196.20 Rules on service; changes in rates.

196.20(1) (1) The rate schedules of any public utility shall include all rules applicable to the rendition or discontinuance of the service to which the rates specified in the schedules are applicable. No change may be made by any public utility in its schedules except by filing the change as proposed with the commission. No change in any public utility rule which purports to curtail the obligation or undertaking of service of the public utility shall be effective without the written approval of the commission after hearing, except that the commission, by emergency order, may make the rule, as filed, effective from the date of the order, pending final approval of the rule after hearing.

196.20(2) (2) 

196.20(2)(a) (a) A proposed change which constitutes a decrease in rates shall be effective at the time specified in the change as filed but not earlier than 10 days after the date of filing the change with the commission, unless any of the following occurs:

196.20(2)(a)1. 1. During the 10-day period the commission, either upon complaint or upon its own motion, by order, suspends the operation of the proposed change.

196.20(2)(a)2. 2. The commission, upon application of any public utility, directs that a proposed reduction in rates be made effective less than 10 days after filing the proposed reduction.

196.20(2)(b) (b)

196.20(2)(b)1. 1. A suspension under par. (a) 1. shall be effective for a period not exceeding 4 months, during which period the commission shall investigate any matter relative to the reasonableness or lawfulness of any change in schedule as filed. After the investigation the commission, by order, shall approve or disapprove the change, except as provided under subd. 2. The commission shall give the public utility proposing the change an opportunity for hearing prior to issuing any order disapproving a change. If the commission disapproves the change, the change shall be ineffective.

196.20(2)(b)2. 2. If the commission orders a suspension under par. (a) 1., the commission, after notice to the public utility of its objections to the change and after giving the public utility an opportunity to be heard on the objections, may prescribe a schedule which, revised on the basis of the objections, the commission finds to be lawful and reasonable instead of disapproving the schedule under subd. 1.

196.20(2m) (2m) Except as provided under s. 196.193, no change in schedules which constitutes an increase in rates to consumers may be made except by order of the commission, after an investigation and opportunity for hearing.

196.20(4) (4) 

196.20(4)(a) (a) In this subsection:

196.20(4)(a)1. 1. “Automatic adjustment clause” means a provision included in the rate schedule of an electric public utility after investigation, notice and hearing which permits the electric public utility to recover in rates, without prior hearing and order of the commission, an increase in costs incurred by the electric public utility.

196.20(4)(a)2. 2. “Electric public utility” means a public utility whose purpose is the generation, transmission, delivery or furnishing of electric power but does not include a public utility owned and operated wholly by a municipality or cooperative and does not include any public utility which purchases, under federal or state approved wholesale rates, more than 50 percent of its electric power requirements from other than an affiliated interest as defined under s. 196.52. “Electric public utility” does not include any Class A utility, as defined under s. 199.03 (4), whose electric generation equipment has a total capacity of less than 30 megawatts.

196.20(4)(b) (b) An electric public utility may not recover in rates any increase in cost, including fuel, by means of the operation of an automatic adjustment clause.

196.20(4)(c) (c)

196.20(4)(c)1. 1. If an electric public utility has an approved fuel cost plan, the commission shall defer any under-collection or over-collection of fuel costs that are outside of the utility’s symmetrical fuel cost annual tolerance, as established by the commission, for subsequent rate recovery or refund.

196.20(4)(c)2. 2. The commission may commence a proceeding to adjust rates for an electric public utility outside of a general rate case proceeding if the utility’s actual fuel costs are outside of the utility’s fuel cost annual tolerance, as established by the commission.

196.20(4)(c)3. 3. Approval of a fuel cost plan and any rate adjustment for deferred fuel costs or refund of over-collected fuel costs shall be determined by the commission after opportunity for hearing.

196.20(4)(d) (d) The commission shall promulgate a rule to implement this subsection.

196.20(7) (7) 

196.20(7)(a) (a) In this subsection, “mitigation payment” means, as approved by the commission, an unrestricted or recurring monetary payment to a local unit of government in which an electric generating facility is located to mitigate the impact of the electric generating facility on the local unit of government. “Mitigation payment” does not include payments made or in-kind contributions for restricted purposes to directly address health or safety impacts of the electric generating facility on the local unit of government.

196.20(7)(b) (b) Except as provided in par. (c), an electric public utility may not recover in rates any of the following:

196.20(7)(b)1. 1. The cost of mitigation payments paid by the utility.

196.20(7)(b)2. 2. The cost of mitigation payments paid by the owner or operator of an electric generating facility that the owner or operator recovers from the utility by selling electricity to the utility, by leasing the facility to the utility, or by any agreement between the owner or operator of the electric generating facility and the public utility.

196.20(7)(c) (c)

196.20(7)(c)1. 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., the commission shall only approve a mitigation payment agreement that is received by the commission before June 10, 2003, and, if the commission finds the agreement to be reasonable, shall not subsequently modify the agreement.

196.20(7)(c)2. 2. If the commission receives a mitigation payment agreement before June 10, 2003, and does not determine that the agreement is unreasonable before November 11, 2003, mitigation payments in accordance with the terms of the agreement shall be recoverable in rates, notwithstanding any subsequent limitations imposed by the commission on the mitigation payments.

196.20(8) (8) 

196.20(8)(a) (a) In this subsection, “financial assistance” has the meaning described in s. 196.372 (2).

196.20(8)(b) (b) The revenue collected from charges applied to a class of customers to fund financial assistance may not exceed an amount equal to the financial assistance received by the class.

196.20(9) (9) The commission shall ensure in rate-making orders that a public utility recovers from its ratepayers reasonable amounts that the public utility spends on pension and other post-employment benefit costs. If requested by the public utility, the commission shall prescribe escrow accounting treatment for the recovery of public utility expenditures related to pension and other post-employment benefit costs.

196.20 History History: 1981 c. 148; 1983 a. 27, 53, 461, 502; 1985 a. 182 s. 57; 1985 a. 297; 1989 a. 344; 1993 a. 496; 1995 a. 27, 363; 1997 a. 27; 2003 a. 89; 2005 a. 337, 441; 2009 a. 403; 2011 a. 22; 2017 a. 137; 2021 a. 24.

196.20 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. PSC 116, Wis. adm. code.

196.20 Annotation A utility’s expanded adjustment clause violated the requirement of public hearings prior to rate increases under sub. (2) [now sub. (2m)]. Wisconsin Environmental Decade, Inc. v. PSC, 81 Wis. 2d 344, 260 N.W.2d 712.

196.20 Annotation The inclusion of nuclear fuel in an adjustment clause did not violate sub. (2) [now sub. (2m)]. Wisconsin Environmental Decade, Inc. v. PSC, 105 Wis. 2d 457, 313 N.W.2d 863 (Ct. App. 1981).

196.20 Annotation Sub. (2m) requires a utility to charge only those rates that have been filed with the PSC in conformity with applicable statutes. Filed rates are those rates filed in compliance with applicable statutes, including those under sub. (2m) for changes in schedules that increase rates. CenturyTel of the Midwest-Kendall, Inc. v. PSC, 2002 WI App 236, 257 Wis. 2d 837, 653 N.W.2d 130, 02-0053.

196.201 196.201 Regulation of private shared telecommunications systems.

196.201(1) (1) Definition. In this section, “private shared telecommunications system” means plant or equipment used to provide telecommunications service through privately owned customer premises equipment to a user group located in a discrete premises, such as in a building complex or a large multitenant building, or used to provide telecommunications service where the cost of service is shared among 2 or more persons who are not affiliated interests under s. 196.52, and where the plant or equipment is not used to offer telecommunications service for sale directly or indirectly to the general public.

196.201(2) (2) Request for access. At the request of any person who receives telecommunications service from a private shared telecommunications system, or at the request of a telecommunications utility or telecommunications carrier seeking to provide telecommunications service requested by any such person, the owner or manager of the private shared telecommunications system shall make facilities or conduit space available to any telecommunications utility or telecommunications carrier for the purpose of providing telecommunications service.

196.201(3) (3) Commission may order. If the commission finds that the owner or manager of a private shared telecommunications system has failed to comply with a request under sub. (2), it may order the owner or manager to make facilities or conduit space available to any telecommunications utility or telecommunications carrier making a request under sub. (2) at reasonable prices and on reasonable terms and conditions, under the procedures of s. 196.04.

196.201 History History: 1985 a. 297; 1993 a. 491, 496.

196.202 196.202 Exemption of commercial mobile radio service providers.

196.202(2) (2) Scope of regulation. A commercial mobile radio service provider is not subject to this chapter, except as provided in sub. (5), and except that a commercial mobile radio service provider is subject to ss. 196.025 (6), 196.218 (3), and 196.859, and shall respond, subject to the protection of the commercial mobile radio service provider’s competitive information, to all reasonable requests for information about its operations in this state from the commission necessary to administer ss. 196.025 (6), 196.218 (3), and 196.859.

196.202(5) (5) Billing. A commercial mobile radio service provider may not charge a customer for an incomplete call.

196.202 History History: 1985 a. 297; 1987 a. 27; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 36, 496; 1997 a. 27, 140, 218; 1999 a. 32, 150; 2001 a. 16; 2009 a. 28; 2011 a. 22.

196.203 196.203 Exemption of alternative telecommunications utilities.

196.203(1d) (1d) In this section, “local government telecommunications utility” has the meaning given in s. 196.204 (1m) (a).

196.203(1g) (1g) Alternative telecommunications utilities are exempt from all provisions of this chapter, except as provided in this section, and except for all of the following:

196.203(1g)(a) (a) An alternative telecommunications utility is subject to ss. 196.01, 196.016, 196.025 (6), 196.191, 196.206, and 196.212.

196.203(1g)(b) (b) An alternative telecommunications utility certified under this section pursuant to s. 196.50 (2) (j) 1. a. is subject to ss. 196.219 (2r) and 196.503, and, with respect only to wholesale telecommunications services, is subject to ss. 196.03 (1) and (6), 196.219 (4), 196.28, and 196.37; and, if such an alternative telecommunications utility was regulated as a price-regulated telecommunications utility prior to June 9, 2011, the alternative telecommunications utility’s intrastate dedicated access rates shall mirror its interstate dedicated access rates.

196.203(1g)(c) (c) An alternative telecommunications utility that is a local government telecommunications utility is subject to s. 196.204.

196.203(2) (2) 

196.203(2)(a) (a) No person may commence providing service as an alternative telecommunications utility unless the person petitions for and the commission issues a certification that the person is an alternative telecommunications utility or unless the person is a telecommunications utility that the commission certifies as an alternative telecommunications utility under this section pursuant to s. 196.50 (2) (j) 1. a.

196.203(2)(b) (b) Except for an alternative telecommunications utility that is a local government telecommunications utility, certification as an alternative telecommunications utility shall be on a statewide basis and any certification issued by the commission before June 9, 2011, to an alternative telecommunications utility that is not a local government telecommunications utility is considered amended to be a statewide certification.

196.203(2)(c) (c) An alternative telecommunications utility may provide notice to the commission to maintain certification as an alternative telecommunications utility but to recertify the alternative telecommunications utility and impose on the alternative telecommunications utility only those provisions of this chapter specified in this paragraph. No later than 30 days after receiving notice under this paragraph, the commission shall issue an order granting recertification and imposing on the alternative telecommunications utility those provisions of this chapter specified in sub. (4m) (a) that are imposed on all alternative telecommunications utilities under sub. (3). The commission may impose a provision of this chapter specified in sub. (4m) (b) or (c) if in the public interest. An alternative telecommunications utility for which an order of recertification is issued is subject to sub. (1g). The granting of the recertification shall operate to terminate the alternative telecommunications utility’s prior certification. All regulatory requirements in or related to the prior certification that are inconsistent with the requirements of or regulation allowed under this section, including all such requirements imposed by the certification and all such requirements imposed by the commission, whether by statute or commission rule or order, on the alternative telecommunications utility are terminated on the effective date of the order, unless the alternative telecommunications utility, in its notice to the commission seeking recertification under this paragraph, requests to remain subject to one or more requirements of its prior certification that do not violate the alternative telecommunications utility’s requirements and obligations under this chapter and the commission does not deny the request in the commission’s recertification order.

196.203(2)(d) (d) The commission may deny a petition for certification as an alternative telecommunications utility described in s. 196.01 (1d) (f) only if the commission finds that the petitioner does not have the financial, managerial, or technical capabilities to provide its proposed services or to comply with conditions that the commission is authorized to impose under sub. (3).