PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
COMMISSION
Subject of Possible Rule Making: Examine the need to adopt rules relating to cessation of telecommunications services including but not limited to notice requirements, services covered, and responsibilities of remaining companies, WAC 480-120-083.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 80.01.040(4) and 80.04.160.
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Rules may be needed because changing conditions in the telecommunications industry may, without warning, cause business failures and decisions to exit the market. Rules may assist in the orderly transition of service to protect public health, safety, and economic vitality.
Process for Developing New Rule: Agency study; and the commission will ask for initial written comments, and will provide the opportunity for additional comments. The commission has scheduled a workshop for representative of affected constituencies in a manner designed to develop consensus amount affected interests regarding any rule proposal. The time and place of the workshop is set out below.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting the Secretary, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, P.O. Box 47250, 1300 South Evergreen Park Drive S.W., Olympia, WA 98504-7250, phone (360) 664-1174, fax (360) 586-1150.
Interested persons may submit comments, as specified below, or may ask to be included in the commission's list of interested persons for the proceeding.
NOTICE OF WORKSHOP: A workshop will be held on June 28, 2001, beginning at 9:00 a.m., Attorney General's Office, 24th Floor Training Room, Bank of California, 900 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA. Questions may be addressed to Tom Wilson at (360) 664-1293 or via e-mail at tomw@wutc.wa.gov. The commission will provide written notice of any additional preproposal workshops to all commenters and to any other persons who specifically ask to receive future notices in this rule-making proceeding.
WRITTEN COMMENTS: Written comments in response to the CR-101 from persons interested in the subject matter of this proposed rule making may be filed with the commission secretary, referencing Docket No. UT-010558, not later than July 13, 2001. All commenters are asked, but not required, to file their comments electronically. The commission prefers to receive comments either via e-mail attachment (addressed to records@wutc.wa.gov) or on a 3 1/2 inch IBM formatted high-density disk, in .pdf format and either MSWord 97 or later, or WordPerfect version 5.1 or later, labeled with the docket number of this proceeding and the commenter's name and type of software used. If you are unable to file your comments electronically, please file the original and eleven copies of your comments with the commission secretary at the address indicated above. The commission may offer additional opportunities to provide written comments. Interested persons may file additional written comments in response to any such invitation. Interested persons may also attend and participate in the workshop described above and in any other workshop that may be scheduled.
June 6, 2001
C. Robert Wallis
for Carole J. Washburn
Secretary