(a) To defray the expenses incurred in the administration of this title, an assessment is imposed on each public utility, retail electric provider, and electric cooperative within the jurisdiction of the commission that serves the ultimate consumer, including each interexchange telecommunications carrier.
(b) An assessment under this section is equal to one-sixth of one percent of the public utility’s, retail electric provider’s, or electric cooperative’s gross receipts from rates charged to the ultimate consumer in this state.

(c) An interexchange telecommunications carrier that does not provide local exchange telephone service may collect the fee imposed under this section as an additional item separately stated on the customer bill as “utility gross receipts assessment.”