(1) It is the intent of the Legislative Assembly that every telecommunications carrier and those telecommunications utilities and competitive telecommunications providers that provide wholesale services meet minimum service quality standards on a nondiscriminatory basis.

(2) The Public Utility Commission shall determine minimum service quality standards that relate to the provision of retail telecommunications services to ensure safe and adequate service. Except as provided in subsections (8) and (9) of this section, minimum service quality standards adopted under this section shall apply to all telecommunications carriers. The commission by rule shall review and revise the minimum service quality standards as necessary to ensure safe and adequate retail telecommunications services.

(3) The minimum service quality standards for providing retail telecommunications services adopted by the commission shall relate directly to specific customer impact indices including but not limited to held orders, trouble reports, repair intervals and carrier inquiry response times. In adopting minimum service quality standards, the commission shall, for each standard adopted, consider the following:

(a) General industry practice and achievement;

(b) National data for similar standards;

(c) Normal operating conditions;

(d) The historic purpose for which the telecommunications network was constructed;

(e) Technological improvements and trends; and

(f) Other factors as determined by the commission.

(4) Consistent with the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104), as amended and in effect on September 1, 1999, the commission may establish minimum service quality standards related to providing wholesale, interconnection, transport and termination services provided by a telecommunications carrier and those telecommunications utilities and competitive telecommunications providers that provide wholesale telecommunications services.

(5) The commission shall require a telecommunications carrier, telecommunications utility or competitive telecommunications provider that is not meeting the minimum service quality standards to submit a plan for improving performance to meet the standards. The commission shall review and approve or disapprove the plan. If the carrier, utility or provider does not meet the goals of its improvement plan within six months or if the plan is disapproved by the commission, penalties may be assessed against the carrier, utility or provider on the basis of the carrier’s, utility’s or provider’s service quality measured against the minimum service quality standards and, if assessed, shall be assessed according to the provisions of ORS § 759.990.

(6) Prior to commencing an action under this section and ORS § 759.990, the commission shall allow a telecommunications carrier, telecommunications utility or competitive telecommunications provider an opportunity to demonstrate that a violation of a minimum service quality standard is the result of the failure of a person providing telecommunications interconnection service to meet the person’s interconnection obligations.

(7) Total annual penalties imposed on a telecommunications utility under this section shall not exceed two percent of the utility’s gross intrastate revenue from the sale of telecommunications services for the calendar year preceding the year in which the penalties are assessed. Total annual penalties imposed on a competitive telecommunications provider under this section shall not exceed two percent of the provider’s gross revenue from the sale of telecommunications services in this state for the calendar year preceding the year in which the penalties are imposed.

(8) The provisions of this section do not apply to:

(a) Radio communications service, radio paging service, commercial mobile radio service, personal communications service or cellular communications service; or

(b) A cooperative corporation organized under ORS Chapter 62 that provides telecommunications services.

(9) Telecommunications utilities and groups of affiliated telecommunications utilities that serve fewer than 50,000 access lines in Oregon are exempt from any minimum service quality standard adopted under this section that would require the utility or group to measure carrier inquiry response time. [1999 c.1093 § 29; 2001 c.95 § 1]