A. Except as otherwise provided in the New Mexico Telecommunications Act, each public telecommunications service is declared to be affected with the public interest and, as such, subject to the provisions of that act, including the regulation thereof as provided in that act.

B. Except in cases regarding the fixing of rates pursuant to Section 63-7-1.1 N.M. Stat. Ann., the commission has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate incumbent local exchange carriers that serve fifty thousand or more access lines within the state to the extent authorized by the New Mexico Telecommunications Act; provided that:

(1)     the commission’s jurisdiction includes the regulation of wholesale rates, including access charges and interconnection agreements consistent with federal law and its enforcement and determinations of participation in low-income telephone service assistance programs pursuant to the Low Income Telephone Service Assistance Act [N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 63, Article 9C]; and

(2)     incumbent local exchange carriers regulated pursuant to this section shall be regulated in the same manner as incumbent rural telecommunications carriers are regulated pursuant to the Rural Telecommunications Act [N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 63, Article 9H] of New Mexico.

C. Any rules adopted by the commission for the regulation of incumbent local exchange carriers pursuant to the New Mexico Telecommunications Act shall preserve and not alter:

(1)     the rights and obligations of any entity, including the commission, established pursuant to federal law, including 47 U.S.C. Sections 251 and 252, or established pursuant to any state law, rule, procedure, regulation or order related to interconnection, intercarrier compensation, intercarrier complaints, wholesale rights and obligations or any wholesale rate or schedule that is filed with and maintained by the commission;

(2)     the rights and obligations of any competitive telecommunications service provider holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity, or the rights and obligations of any competitive carrier to obtain such a certificate;

(3)     the authority of the commission to resolve consumer complaints regarding basic local exchange service; provided, however, that the commission’s authority to resolve such complaints shall be limited to resolving issues of consumer protection and shall not include the authority to determine or fix rates, provider of last resort obligations or service quality standards except as expressly set forth in the New Mexico Telecommunications Act;

(4)     the authority of the commission to establish reasonable quality of service standards; provided, however, that the enforcement of such standards shall be limited to the commission’s fining authority set forth in Section 63-7-23 N.M. Stat. Ann. and the authority to seek an injunction set forth in Section 63-9-19 N.M. Stat. Ann.;

(5)     the rights and obligations of any entity, including the commission, regarding the fund;

(6)     the rights and obligations of any entity, including the commission, regarding access to emergency service to the extent consistent with the Enhanced 911 Act N.M. Stat. Ann. § 63-9D-1 through 63-9D-11.1; or

(7)     the rights and obligations of any entity, including the commission, regarding the administration of slamming and cramming rules, telecommunications relay service and numbering resources to the extent permitted by and consistent with federal law.

D. The provisions of the New Mexico Telecommunications Act do not apply to incumbent rural telecommunications carriers.