A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT providing that telecommunications service providers shall annually report to the utilities commission the amount of universal service support payments received by the provider from the Universal support fund and the manner in which the provider used the funds to provide universal service to its customers.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 3 of Chapter 62 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read as follows:
"§ 62‑36.2.  Reports by telecommunications service providers on universal service support payments.
Beginning in 2015, all providers of telecommunications service required to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF) under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as amended, shall annually report to the Commission (i) the total amount of universal service support payments distributed to the provider by the Universal Service Administrative Company from the USF for services provided in this State and the individual disbursements for the high-cost, lifeline, rural health care (Healthcare Connect Fund), and schools and libraries (eRate funding) support mechanisms and (ii) the manner in which the payments were used to provide universal service to the provider's customers in this State, including a summary of payments used for each of the support mechanisms. The report shall be due no later than June 31 of each year and shall include the information required by this section for the prior calendar year. The report shall be in the form required by the Commission and shall be under oath. The Commission may issue an order, without notice or hearing, canceling or suspending any certificate of convenience and necessity 30 days after the date of service of the order for failing to file the required annual report at the time it was due. In the event the report is filed during the 30-day period, the order of cancellation or suspension shall be null and void."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to all universal service support payments distributed on or after December 31, 2013.