CHAPTER 362 DEFINITION OF TERMS; UTILITIES EXEMPTED
Section 362:7
362:7 Telephone Utilities. –
I. In this title:
(a) "End user" means any telecommunications services customer that is not a telecommunications carrier or telecommunications public utility except that a telecommunications carrier or public utility shall be deemed to be an "end user" when such carrier uses a telecommunications service for administrative purposes.
(b) "Incumbent local exchange carrier" shall have the meaning as defined in 47 U.S.C. section 251(h).
(c) "Excepted local exchange carrier" means:
(1) An incumbent local exchange carrier providing telephone services to 25,000 or more lines; or
(2) An incumbent local exchange carrier providing service to less than 25,000 lines that elects to be excepted, upon the filing with the commission of a written notice advising of said election; or
(3) Any provider of telecommunications services that is not an incumbent local exchange carrier.
(d) "Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") service" means any service that:
(1) Enables real-time, 2-way voice communications that originate from or terminate in the user's location in Internet Protocol or any successor protocol;
(2) Requires a broadband connection from the user's location; and
(3) Permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network.
(e) "IP-enabled service" means any service, capability, functionality, or application provided using Internet Protocol, or any successor protocol, that enables a user to send or receive a communication in Internet Protocol format or any successor format, regardless of technology; provided, however, that no service included within the definition of "Voice over Internet Protocol service" shall be included within this definition.
II. Except as set forth in paragraph III, notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no department, agency, commission, or political subdivision of the state, shall enact, adopt, or enforce, either directly or indirectly, any law, rule, regulation, ordinance, standard, order, or other provision having the force or effect of law that regulates or has the effect of regulating the market entry, market exit, transfer of control, rates, terms, or conditions of any VoIP service or IP enabled service or any provider of VoIP service or IP-enabled service. VoIP services and IP-enabled services are not public utility services and a provider of VoIP service or IP-enabled service is not a public utility under RSA 362:2, or an excepted local exchange carrier under RSA 362:7, I(c) and shall not be regulated as a public utility in any manner other than as set forth in paragraph III.
III. The prohibitions of paragraph II shall not be construed to:
(a) Affect or limit the application or enforcement of criminal or other laws that apply generally to the conduct of business in the state, including, without limitation, consumer protection, or unfair or deceptive trade practice protections;
(b) Affect, mandate, or prohibit the assessment of taxes or nondiscriminatory 911 fees, telecommunications relay service fees, or other fees of general applicability;
(c) Modify or affect the rights or obligations of any telecommunications carrier, or any duties or powers of the public utilities commission, under 47 U.S.C. section 251 or 47 U.S.C. section 252, as applicable;
(d) Affect the authority of the state or its political subdivisions, as applicable, to manage the use of public rights-of-way, including, but not limited to, any requirement for the joint use of poles or other structures in such rights-of-way;
(e) Affect or limit the application or enforcement of RSA 371:17 through RSA 371:24, RSA 374:2-a, RSA 374:28-a, RSA 374:34-a, RSA 374:48 through RSA 374:56, RSA 374:59, RSA 378:44 through RSA 378:48, or RSA 374:30, II;
(f) Affect or modify any obligations for the provision of video service by any party under applicable law.
IV. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to give the commission any additional authority over wireless carriers.
Source. 2012, 177:1, eff. Aug. 10, 2012. 2013, 279:3, 4, eff. July 27, 2013.