SB 6675: Telecommunications services

Summary

• $ Public Utility Districts (PUDs) and rural port districts may provide wholesale telecommunication services within or outside the district's limits for all areas: except within cities over 70,000 population, by contract with another PUD, and for their internal telecommunication needs.
• $ PUDs and rural port districts are expressly prohibited from providing wholesale telecommunication services to end users.
• $ PUDs and rural port districts must establish a separate utility function for the provision of those services, and account for all revenues and expenditures separately from its internal operations.
• $ PUD's and rural port districts must dedicate any revenue received from wholesale telecommunication services to the utility function that includes the provision of wholesale telecommunication services for costs incurred to build and maintain such facilities until bonds or other financing are paid off.
• $ PUDs and rural port districts must charge themselves the full and true value of their internal telecommunication needs.
• $ The act limits no existing authority granted to port districts or PUDs.

From the Substitute House Bill Report (SSB 6675), written by the Legislature's nonpartisan staff. Read the full report ↗