Bill Text: NH SB603 | 2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relative to telephone number and area code conservation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-07-30 - Signed by the Governor on 07/26/2024; Chapter 0314; Effective 07/26/2024 [SB603 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2024-SB603-Amended.html
SB 603-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/07/2024 0791s
2024 SESSION
24-3001
10/08
SENATE BILL 603-FN
AN ACT relative to telephone number and area code conservation.
SPONSORS: Sen. Bradley, Dist 3
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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ANALYSIS
This bill updates the authority of the department of energy and the public utilities commission to promote and adopt telephone number conservation measures to the maximum extent allowed by federal law for area code 603.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/07/2024 0791s 24-3001
10/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
AN ACT relative to telephone number and area code conservation.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Public Utilities; Telephone Number Conservation and Area Code Implementation Policy Principles. RSA 374:59 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
374:59 ? Telephone Number Conservation and Area Code Implementation Policy Principles.
I. In this section:
(a) “Commission” means the public utilities commission.
(b) "Department" means the department of energy.
(c) "North American Numbering Plan Administrator" (NANPA) means a North American organization responsible for neutrally administering numbering resources in a New Hampshire numbering plan area as defined in 47 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 52.13.
(d) “Service Provider” refers to a telecommunications carrier or other entity that receives numbering resources from the NANPA, a pooling administrator or another service provider for the purpose of providing or enabling a communications service. For purposes of this section, the term “service provider” includes an interconnected VoIP service provider.
II. The department should promote and adopt telephone number conservation measures to the maximum extent allowed by federal law for area code 603 and any subsequently assigned New Hampshire area codes, including, but not limited to, exercising authority on the reclamation of telephone numbering resources and ensuring that all service providers are in compliance with the FCC’s regulations on thousands-block number pooling and ordering rate center consolidation that it determines necessary after review and investigation of the appropriateness of such consolidation.
III. The department may exercise any authority provided to the states by 47 C.F.R., Part 52 to maximize numbering resources. Notwithstanding any other law, rule, or order to the contrary, and in particular RSA 362:6 and RSA 362:7, II, all service providers , including but not limited to, cellular mobile radio service providers, paging service providers, voice over Internet protocol service providers, and IP-enabled service providers shall be subject to the department’s authority with respect to telephone numbering resources. The department may specially assess these providers for the costs of investigations and other proceedings pursuant to RSA 365:37, II regardless of their participation in any proceeding. ? Service providers shall be subject to penalties imposed by the department or commission for failure to pay a special assessment or for failure to comply with any rule or order. ??
IV. The department may adopt rules or orders to implement the requirements of this section.
V. A provider of interconnected voice over Internet protocol service as defined in 47 C.F.R., Section 9.3 shall register with the department prior to requesting numbering resources in the state. The registration must include:
(a) Contact information for a representative of the voice over Internet protocol service responsible for regulatory and numbering matters, and when there is any change in the contact information required under this subparagraph, a provider of interconnected voice over Internet protocol service shall update its registration information; and
(b) An acknowledgment that the provider of interconnected voice over Internet protocol service must file a notice with the commission at least 30 days before requesting numbers from the NANPA or its successor.
2 ? Effective Date. ?This act shall take effect upon its passage.
24-3001
Revised 12/22/23
SB 603-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to telephone number and area code conservation.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
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Estimated State Impact - Increase / (Decrease) | ||||||
| FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | ||
Revenue | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | Special Utility Assessment
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Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | Special Utility Assessment
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Appropriations | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None
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• Does this bill provide sufficient funding to cover estimated expenditures? [X] N/A • Does this bill authorize new positions to implement this bill? [X] No
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METHODOLOGY:
This bill updates the authority of the Department of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to promote and adopt telephone number conservation measures to the maximum extent allowed by federal law for area code 603.
The Department of Energy indicates this bill would require the Department to adopt measures to conserve telephone numbers within the 603 area code including requiring all telecommunications providers to:
- Undertake inventories and return assigned blocks of numbers to the numbering pool.
- Consolidate rate centers, and the like; to assure equitable access to numbers.
- Provide for local number portability and to require parties that manage numbering pools to keep assignment and management of those numbers segregated from their marketing departments.
Some telecommunications providers are considered public utilities and others are not. This bill would make all telecommunications service providers subject to the Department’s jurisdiction and assessment authority at least for this limited purpose. The Department assumes it would issue an RFP for consultants to assist in structuring an investigation and in identifying and adopting actions to better utilize numbering resources in the State in order to push the exhaust of the 603 area code beyond 2027. The bill would provide the Department with the authority to adopt measures identified by the consultant to utilize the State's telephone numbering resources more efficiently. The consultant cost cannot be determined in advance, but the Department assumes the cost would range between $100,000 and $300,000 over the FY 2025 and FY 2026 period. Such costs would be paid through a special utility assessment on all providers of telecommunications services. Other required work would be assumed by existing Department staff, and there would be no additional cost to state, county, or local budgets.
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) indicates both the Department of Energy and the PUC may impose penalties against these companies for failure to pay a special assessment or comply with any rule or order. The Department of Energy is responsible for administering telephone numbering resources, so that the PUC is unlikely to become involved in these matters, unless it is as a result of a petition filed by the Department to adjudicate a specific matter. The PUC expects no fiscal impact on the Commission.
It is assumed that any fiscal impact would occur after FY 2024.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Energy and Public Utilities Commission
