OAR 860-032-0007: Conditions of Certificates of Authority

A certificate to provide telecommunications service is subject to the following conditions: (1) The certificate holder must provide only the telecommunications service authorized in the certificate. (2) A telecommunications utility may not abandon service except as authorized under the Commission's rules. (3) For telecommunications utilities, the records and books of the certificate holder are open to inspection by the Commission, and must be maintained according to the Commission's rules. (4) For competitive providers and cooperatives, the books and records of the certificate holder must be open to inspection by the Commission to the extent necessary to verify information required of the certificate holder. The books and records must be maintained according to the applicable rules of the Commission. (5) The certificate holder must pay all access charges and subsidies imposed pursuant to the Commission's rules, orders, tariffs, or price lists. (6) The certificate holder involved in the provision of an operator service must: (a) Notify all callers at the beginning of each call of the telecommunications provider's name; however, a telecommunications provider furnishing operator service for another telecommunications provider may brand the call by identifying the other provider; (b) Disclose rate and service information to the caller when requested; (c) Maintain a current list of emergency numbers for each service territory it serves; (d) Transfer an emergency call to the appropriate emergency number when requested, free of charge; (e) Transfer a call to, or instruct the caller how to reach, the originating telecommunications utility's operator service upon request of the caller, free of charge; (f) Not transfer a call to another operator service provider without the caller's notification and consent; (g) Not bill or collect for calls not completed to the caller's destination telephone number; and (h) Not screen calls and prevent or block the completion of calls which would allow the caller to reach an operator service company different from the certificate holder. In addition, the certificate holder shall, through contract provisions with its call aggregator clients, prohibit the blocking of a caller's access to his or her operator service company of choice. A certificate holder may apply for a waiver from this requirement if necessary to prevent fraudulent use of its services. (7) Telecommunications providers who enter into operator service contracts or arrangements with call aggregators must include in those contracts or arrangements provisions for public notification as follows: (a) A sticker or name plate identifying the name of the certificate holder must be attached to each telephone available to the public; and (b) A brochure, pamphlet, or other notice must be available in the immediate vicinity of the telephone giving the name of the operator service provider, stating that rate quotes are available upon request, listing a toll-free telephone number for customer inquiry, and giving instructions on how the caller may access other operator service providers. (8) Competitive providers may contract with telecommunications utilities, other competitive providers, or other persons for customer billing and collection under the following conditions: (a) The telecommunications utility, other competitive provider, or other person, in billing for the competitive provider, must include on the bill the name of a company with the information and authority to provide information and resolve disputes about billing entries, a toll-free number to reach that company, and details of the services and charges billed; (b) The telecommunications utility may not deny telecommunications service to customers for failure to pay charges for competitive provider services or unregulated utility services. (9) The certificate holder must comply with Commission rules and orders applicable to the certificate holder. (10) The certificate holder may not take any action that impairs the ability of other certified telecommunications providers to meet service standards specified by the Commission; (11) The certificate holder must respond in a timely manner to Commission inquiries. (12) The certificate holder must submit required reports in a timely manner. (13) The certificate holder must notify the Commission of changes to the certificate holder's name, address, or telephone numbers within ten days of such change. (14) Telecommunications providers must meet service standards set forth in applicable Commission's rules, including OAR 860-032-0012. (15) The certificate holder must timely pay all Commission taxes, fees, or assessments adopted pursuant to Oregon law or Commission rules, orders, tariffs or price lists. (16) Except as otherwise allowed under state or federal law, the certificate holder must not block, choke, reduce or restrict intrastate traffic in any way. (17) The certificate holder must take reasonable steps to ensure that it does not adopt or perpetuate routing practices that, except as otherwise allowed under state or federal law, result in lower quality service to an exchange with higher terminating access rates than like service to an exchange with lower terminating access rates. (a) Reasonable steps include: (A) Not engaging in deceptive or misleading practices including but not limited to informing a caller that a number is not reachable or is out of service when the number is in fact reachable and in service. (B) Ensuring that the actions of any underlying carrier, if that underlying carrier is an agent, contractor or subcontractor of or employed by the certificate holder and acting within the scope of the person’s employment, used to deliver traffic on behalf of the certificate holder would not put the certificate holder in violation of any Commission rule. (b) The certificate holder is liable for the actions of an underlying carrier used to deliver traffic on behalf of the certificate holder, if that underlying carrier is an agent, contractor or subcontractor of or employed by the certificate holder and acting within the scope of the person’s employment and the certificate holder knew or should have known of the underlying carrier’s actions and engages in acts or omissions that effectively allow those actions to persist.