38.5.4116    SAFEGUARDS

(1) In order to insure that the development of intraLATA competition will not be impeded following intraLATA equal access presubscription the following practices shall be observed by the local exchange carrier toll service provider:

(a) Customers who initiate service in an exchange following the implementation of presubscription should be provided with information concerning their carrier selection options at the time they sign up for service. The material and procedures employed in this process must be competitively neutral and approved by the commission prior to their use.

(b) When handling customer-initiated contacts regarding local service matters such as a change in service, local exchange carrier business office personnel may not engage in promotional efforts for the local exchange carrier's toll service offerings.

(c) When a customer contacts a local exchange carrier's business office to change their PIC from the local exchange carrier to a competitor, the transaction must be handled in a neutral manner (i.e., in the same manner as a PIC change from one competitor to another) .

(d) Bills rendered to the customer shall identify the customer's presubscribed carrier(s) in a neutral manner.

(e) Letters of authorization (LOAs) submitted by a competitor prior to intraLATA presubscription implementation shall be accepted no earlier than 60 days prior to implementation. In case of multiple submission of LOAs, the last dated LOA shall be processed. LOAs must conform to ARM 38.5.3801 through 38.5.3810 and 69-3-1304 , MCA.

(f) The local exchange carrier shall assume that customers who have an interLATA PIC freeze on their account prior to implementation of intraLATA presubscription wish to have the freeze extend to intraLATA toll service following intraLATA presubscription implementation.

History: 69-3-103, 69-3-822, MCA; IMP, 69-3-102, 69-3-201, 69-3-834, MCA; NEW, 1998 MAR p. 983, Eff. 4/17/98.