(1) No telecommunications company which provides intrastate interexchange service or basic local exchange service may abandon or otherwise discontinue such service in or to a local exchange area which it serves unless:

(a) The commission finds upon application and hearing, if such hearing is deemed necessary by the commission, that one or more other telecommunications companies or communications providers (i) are furnishing comparable wireline telecommunications service, including voice over Internet protocol service, to the subscribers in such local exchange area or (ii) have been designated as eligible telecommunications carriers in such local exchange area at the time of discontinuance or abandonment; and

(b) The telecommunications company discontinuing telecommunications service to such local exchange area:

(i) Notifies its subscribers in the local exchange area in writing of the abandonment, which notice shall be sent at least thirty days prior to the effective date of such abandonment;

(ii) Refunds any unused prepaid subscription charges or other unused prepaid charges to each customer in the local exchange area prior to the effective date of the abandonment; and

(iii) Prior to the effective date of the abandonment, reimburses its customers in the local exchange area for service charges which its customers incur in obtaining substitute service from another telecommunications company or communications provider or, in lieu thereof, pays other telecommunications companies or communications providers directly for such service charges on behalf of its customers making changes in their service as a result of the abandonment.

(2) For purposes of this section:

(a) Communications provider has the same meaning as in section 86-125 ; and

(b) Eligible telecommunications carrier means an eligible telecommunications carrier as designated under 47 U.S.C. § 214(e), as such section existed on January 1, 2022.