State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB0415

 
                                               LRB9206042JSpc

 1        AN ACT concerning telecommunications.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.   The  Public  Utilities  Act  is  amended by
 5    changing Sections 5-104 and 9-230 and adding Section 13-301.2
 6    as follows:

 7        (220 ILCS 5/5-104) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-104)
 8        Sec. 5-104. Depreciation accounts.
 9        (a)  The Commission shall have power, after  hearing,  to
10    require  any  or all public utilities, except electric public
11    utilities  and  telecommunications  carriers,  to  keep  such
12    accounts   as   will   adequately    reflect    depreciation,
13    obsolescence  and  the  progress  of the arts. The Commission
14    may, from time to time, ascertain and determine and by  order
15    fix  the  proper  and  adequate  rate  of depreciation of the
16    several classes of property for each public utility; and each
17    public utility shall conform its depreciation accounts to the
18    rates so ascertained, determined and fixed.
19        (b)  The Commission shall have the power, after  hearing,
20    to   require   any  or  all  electric  public  utilities  and
21    telecommunications carriers to keep  such  accounts  as  will
22    adequately   reflect   depreciation,  obsolescence,  and  the
23    progress of the arts.  The Commission may, from time to time,
24    ascertain and determine and  by  order  fix  the  proper  and
25    adequate  rate  of  depreciation  of  the  several classes of
26    property   for   each    electric    public    utility    and
27    telecommunications  carrier; and each electric public utility
28    and  telecommunications  carrier  shall  thereafter,   absent
29    further  order  of  the  Commission, conform its depreciation
30    accounts to the rates so ascertained,  determined  and  fixed
31    until  at  least  the  end  of  the  first full calendar year
 
                            -2-                LRB9206042JSpc
 1    following the date of such determination.
 2        (c)  An electric public utility or  a  telecommunications
 3    carrier  may  from  time  to  time  alter the annual rates of
 4    depreciation, which for purposes of this subsection  (c)  and
 5    subsection (d) shall include amortization, that it applies to
 6    its  several  classes  of  assets  so  long  as the rates are
 7    consistent with  generally  accepted  accounting  principles.
 8    The  electric  public  utility or  telecommunications carrier
 9    shall file a statement with the Commission  which  shall  set
10    forth the new rates of depreciation and which shall contain a
11    certification  by  an independent certified public accountant
12    that the  new  rates  of  depreciation  are  consistent  with
13    generally accepted accounting principles.  Upon the filing of
14    such statement, the new rates of depreciation shall be deemed
15    to be approved by the Commission as the rates of depreciation
16    to  be  applied  thereafter by the electric public utility or
17    telecommunications  carrier  as  though  an  order  had  been
18    entered pursuant to subsection (b).
19        (d)  In any  proceeding  conducted  pursuant  to  Section
20    9-201  or  9-202  to  set  an  electric  public  utility's or
21    telecommunications   carrier's   rates   for   service,   the
22    Commission may determine  not  to  use,  in  determining  the
23    depreciation   expense   component  of  the  electric  public
24    utility's or telecommunications carrier's rates for  service,
25    the  rates of depreciation established pursuant to subsection
26    (c), if the Commission in that proceeding finds based on  the
27    record  that  different rates of depreciation are required to
28    adequately  reflect  depreciation,   obsolescence   and   the
29    progress  of  the  arts,  and  fixes  by  order  and uses for
30    purposes of that proceeding new rates of depreciation  to  be
31    thereafter   employed  by  the  electric  public  utility  or
32    telecommunications carrier until the end of  the  first  full
33    calendar  year  following  the  date of the determination and
34    thereafter until altered in accordance with subsection (b) or
 
                            -3-                LRB9206042JSpc
 1    (c) of this Section.
 2    (Source: P.A. 90-561, eff. 12-16-97.)

 3        (220 ILCS 5/9-230) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 9-230)
 4        Sec. 9-230.  Rate of return; capital involving nonutility
 5    or unregulated companies. In determining a reasonable rate of
 6    return  upon  investment  for  any  public  utility  in   any
 7    proceeding  to  establish  rates  or  charges, the Commission
 8    shall not include any incremental risk, or increased cost  of
 9    capital, expense, or revenue, including revenue attributed to
10    telephone  directory  operations,  which  is  the  direct  or
11    indirect  result  of  the  public  utility's affiliation with
12    unregulated or nonutility companies.
13    (Source: P.A. 84-617.)

14        (220 ILCS 5/13-301.2 new)
15        Section    13-301.2.  Affiliated     company     offering
16    competitive   telecommunications  services.   The  Commission
17    shall  not  prohibit  a  local  exchange   telecommunications
18    carrier  from  recommending to a customer the selection of an
19    affiliated   company   offering   competitive   interexchange
20    telecommunications  services,  provided  the  local  exchange
21    telecommunications carrier also informs the customer that the
22    customer  may  select  any   company   offering   competitive
23    interexchange telecommunications services.

24        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
25    becoming law.

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