Wisconsin Legislature: PSC 160.02(21)(a)7.

(3) “Call control” means a service that lets a customer specify a certain amount of the calls specified under s. PSC 160.04 (1) that may be completed per month on the customer’s account.

(4) “Call limitation” means either call blocking or call control for providers that are incapable of providing both services and, for providers that are capable of providing both services, it means both call blocking and call control.

(6) “Commission” means the public service commission.

(7) “Contributory provider” means a telecommunications provider that pays monies to the universal service fund.

(8) “Disability” means a physical or sensory impairment that limits or curtails an individual’s ability to use telecommunications services or equipment, or both.

(9) “Eligible telecommunications carrier” or “ETC” means a telecommunications provider that the commission has so designated and includes federal-only ETCs, full ETCs, and low-income ETCs.

(10) “Emergency service numbers” mean 9-1-1 where available and fire, emergency medical services, law enforcement, and poison center emergency numbers where 9-1-1 is not available.

(11) “Extended community calling” means a telecommunications service by which a customer in one exchange may call a customer in another exchange or combination of exchanges under an expanded local calling plan based on usage.

(12) “Federal-only eligible telecommunications carrier” or “federal-only ETC” means a telecommunications provider that the commission has so designated under s. 196.218 (4) (b), Stats., or so designated before June 9, 2011.

(13) “Federal subscriber line charge” means a monthly per line federal charge that is assessed directly on a local exchange telephone service customer as allowed by the federal communications commission.

Note: This is also known federally as the end-user common line charge. See 47 CFR 69.104.

(14) “Full eligible telecommunications carrier” or “full ETC” means a telecommunications provider that the commission has so designated under s. PSC 160.13 for participation in all universal service programs.

(15) “Household” has the meaning given in 47 CFR 54.400 (h).

Note: As of April 2015, 47 CFR 54.400 (h) read as follows: A “household” is any individual or group of individuals who are living together at the same address as one economic unit. A household may include related and unrelated persons. An “economic unit” consists of all adult individuals contributing to and sharing in the income and expenses of a household. An adult is any person 18 years or older. If an adult has no or minimal income, and lives with someone who provides financial support to him/her, both people shall be considered part of the same household. Children under the age of 18 living with their parents or guardians are considered to be part of the same household as their parents or guardians.

(16) “Incumbent local exchange carrier” means a telecommunications provider, and its successors and assigns, authorized under law or by the commission before September 1, 1994, to place facilities and provide basic local service in a particular geographic area.

(17) “Lifeline” means the program that provides reduced monthly service rates for low-income customers.

(18) “Line” means an access line or service to an activated wireless handset.

(19) “Link-up” means a program that waives some or all service connection charges for low-income customers.

(20) “Local exchange service provider” means any wireless provider that has been designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier under s. PSC 160.13, or a telecommunications utility or any other provider of basic local exchange service or standard business lines and usage.

(21) “Low-income” means a household that meets one of the following criteria:

(a) Receives benefits from one or more of the following programs:

1. Wisconsin works under ss. 49.141 to 49.162, Stats.

Note: This includes all programs, including financial and employment assistance, child care subsidy, etc.

2. Medical assistance under 42 USC 1396 et seq.

3. Supplemental security income under 42 USC 1381 to 1383.

4. Food stamps under 7 USC 2011 to 2029.

Note: As of April 2015, the generic term “food stamps” refers to programs currently known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Food Share.

5. The low income household energy assistance program under s. 16.27, Stats.

6. Unless the provider is a federal-only ETC, Wisconsin homestead tax credit under ss. 71.51 to 71.55, Stats.

7. BadgerCare Plus programs under s. 49.471, Stats., consistent with the income limits in subd. 11.

8. SeniorCare 1 and 2a under s. 49.688, Stats.

9. The national school lunch program’s free lunch program.

10. Temporary assistance for needy families, other than Wisconsin works under ss. 49.141 to 49.161, Stats.

11. As approved by the commission, other state or federally administered programs for households with income levels less than or equal to 200% of the poverty line as defined in 42 USC 9902 (2).

Note: See sub. 160.06 (1) (c) concerning other households that may be considered low-income.

(b) The customer’s income, as defined in 47 CFR 54.400 (f), is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines.

(22) “Low-income eligible telecommunications carrier” or “low-income ETC” means a telecommunications provider that the commission has so designated under s. PSC 160.13 for participation only in the lifeline or link-up program, or both.

(23) “Non-profit group” means an organization described in s. 501 (c) (3) of the internal revenue code that is exempt from federal income tax under s. 501 (a) of the internal revenue code.

(24) “Nonrecurring charge” means the charge for those activities and materials necessary to connect network services to the customer’s premises, up to and including the network interface device but not including customer premises wiring or customer premises equipment, and not including construction charges.

(25) “Pay-per-call service” has the meaning given in s. 196.208 (1) (a), Stats.

(26) “Provider” or “telecommunications provider” has the meaning given in s. 196.01 (8p), Stats.

(27) “Rural telephone company” has the meaning given in 47 USC 153 (37).

(28) “Two line hearing carryover” means the technique of using 3-way calling and 2 telephone lines, one for hearing and one for text, to connect a hearing caller who is speech impaired with another caller via the telecommunications relay service.

(29) “Two line voice carryover” means the technique of using 3-way calling and 2 telephone lines, one for voice and one for text, to connect a caller who is deaf or hard of hearing but can speak, with another caller via the telecommunications relay service.

(30) “Universal service” means a statewide rapid, efficient, communications network with adequate, economically placed facilities to ensure that a basic set of essential telecommunications services is available to all persons in this state within a reasonable time and at affordable prices.

(31) “Wireless provider” means a commercial mobile radio service provider as defined in s. 196.01 (2g).

History: Cr. Register, April, 1996, No. 484, eff. 5-1-96; renum. (1) and (4) to be (1m) and (4m) and am. (4m) (a), renum. (9) to be (13), cr. (1g), (4g), (8) (g), (h), (9) to (12), am. (7), (8) (a), (e), Register, April, 2000, No. 532, eff. 5-1-00; correction in (8) (e) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2007 No. 616; CR 13-068: renum. (1g), (1m), (2) to (1), (7), (8) and am. (8), cr. (2), renum. (3) to (10), cr. (3), (4), r. (4g), (4m), renum. (5), (6) to (17), (19) and am. (19), cr. (6), renum. (7) to (20) and am., r. (8), renum. (9) to (23), cr. (9), renum. (10), (11) to (24), (27), cr. (11), renum. (12) to (29) and am., cr. (12), renum. (13) to (30) and am., cr. (13) to (16), (18), (21), (22), (25), (26), (28), (31) Register January 2016 No. 721, eff. 2-1-16; correction in (21) (a) 7. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2016 No. 724.

PSC 160.03 Essential telecommunications services.

(1) For purposes of this subsection:

(a) “911” means a service that permits a telecommunications user to use the three-digit code ‘911,’ to access emergency services through a public safety answering point operated by a local government.

(b) “Directory assistance” means a service that includes making available to customers, upon request, information contained in directory listings, such as customer address and telephone number.

(c) “Dual tone multi-frequency” means a method of signaling that facilitates the transportation of signaling through the network, shortening call set-up time.

Note: This is commonly known as touch tone.

(d) “Emergency services” includes services, such as 911 and enhanced 911, provided by local governments or other public safety organizations.

(e) “Enhanced 911” means 911 service that includes the ability to provide automatic numbering information, which enables the public safety answering point to call back if the call is disconnected, and automatic location information, which permits emergency service providers to identify the geographic location of the calling party.

(f) “Interexchange service” means the use of the loop, as well as that portion of the switch that is paid for by the end user, or the functional equivalent of these network elements in the case of a wireless provider, necessary to access an interexchange provider’s network.

(g) “Local usage” means an amount of exchange service, prescribed by the commission, provided free of charge to end users.

(h) “Operator services” means any automatic or live assistance to a customer to arrange for billing or completion, or both, of a telephone call.

(i) “Single-party service” means telecommunications service that permits users to have exclusive use of a landline subscriber loop or access line for each call placed, or, in the case of wireless providers, which use spectrum shared among users to provide service, a dedicated message path for the length of a user’s particular transmission.

(j) “Voice grade access” means a functionality that enables a user of telecommunications services to transmit voice communications, including signaling the network that the caller wishes to place a call, and to receive voice communications, including receiving a signal indicating there is an incoming call.

Note: The definitions in sub. (1) do not have any application. The Public Service Commission will remove sub. (1) in future rule-making.

(1m) Each eligible telecommunications carrier shall make all essential telecommunications services available to all of its customers.

(2) “Essential telecommunications services” means the service or functionalities listed in 47 CFR 54.101.

History: Cr. Register, April, 1996, No. 484, eff. 5-1-96; am. (2) (a) 7. to 10., and 14., r., (2) (c), renum. (2) (d) to be (2) (c), Register, April, 2000, No. 532, eff. 5-1-00; except (2) (a) 14. eff. 11-1-00; CR 13-068: renum. (1) to (1m) and am., cr. (1), r. and recr. (2) Register January 2016 No. 721, eff. 2-1-16.

PSC 160.04 Call limitation.

(1) Call limitation obligations.

(a) Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), every local exchange service provider in the state shall offer call limitation capability for each of the following:

1. Long distance toll calls.

2. Pay-per-call service.

3. Collect toll calls.

4. Toll calls charged to a telephone credit card associated with the telephone number for which call limitation has been requested.

5. Toll calls charged to a third telephone number for which call limitation has been requested.

(b) Federal-only eligible telecommunications carriers are not required to offer any call limitation capabilities to customers who are not low income and need only offer blocking of outgoing toll calls to customers who are low income.

(c) A local exchange service provider is not required to offer the blocking under par. (a) 1., 3.,4., or 5., to a customer that has service that does not include a fee for such calls that is in addition to the per month or per billing cycle price of service.

(2) Charges. A local exchange service provider may not impose a charge for the cost of blocking pay-per-call services the first time a customer requests such blocking.

(3) Emergency service. A local exchange service provider may not impose a call limitation that prevents a customer from reaching the emergency service numbers appropriate for the customer’s location.

(4) Public notification and education. An eligible telecommunications carrier shall make reasonable efforts to inform its customers of the availability of and, where charge-free, eligibility requirements for, call limitation services. An eligible telecommunications carrier shall also make reasonable efforts to instruct customers requesting the service in the use of the service.

History: Cr. Register, April, 1996, No. 484, eff. 5-1-96; am. (1), Register, April, 2000, No. 532, eff. 5-1-00; CR 13-068: r. and recr. (title), renum. (1) to (1) (a) (intro.) and am., cr. (1) (a) 1. to 5., (b), (c), r. and recr. (2) to (4), r. (5), (6) Register January 2016 No. 721, eff. 2-1-16; correction in (1) (c) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register January 2016 No. 721, eff. 2-1-16.

PSC 160.05 Universal service fund programs. Universal service fund monies may be used for fund administration; for informing the public of the existence, purpose, intent, and uses of the universal service fund; and for the following purposes:

(1) For the following programs as adopted by the commission under the appropriation in s. 20.155 (1) (q) and (3), Stats.:

(a) Link-up assistance, as specified in s. PSC 160.061.

(b) Lifeline assistance, as specified in s. PSC 160.062.

(d) Telecommunications equipment purchase program (TEPP) vouchers, as specified in s. PSC 160.071 (1m).

(e) Telecommunications customer assistance program, as specified in s. PSC 160.08.

(f) High rate assistance credits, as specified in s. PSC 160.09.

(g) Alternative universal service protection plans, as specified in s. PSC 160.092.

(k) Funding for programs or projects approved under s. PSC 160.125 (2).