Nicoma Park Telephone Co. v. State

1947 OK 125, 180 P.2d 626, 198 Okla. 441, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 508
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 15, 1947
DocketNo. 32251
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1947 OK 125 (Nicoma Park Telephone Co. v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nicoma Park Telephone Co. v. State, 1947 OK 125, 180 P.2d 626, 198 Okla. 441, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 508 (Okla. 1947).

Opinion

DAVISON, V.C.J.

This is an appeal from an order of the Corporation Commission establishing a new exchange boundary line between the Oklahoma City telephone exchange, owned and operated by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, and the Nicoma Park telephone exchange, owned and operated by Nicoma Park Telephone Company, . made upon application filed by B. Richardson, telephone engineer for the Corporation Commission, against both of said companies, plaintiffs in error herein.

Nicoma Park is a small community 11% miles east of Oklahoma City and for the past 15 years has been supplied with telephone exchange service by Nicoma Park Telephone Company, a partnership composed of J. B. Bolen and other members of his family. This service has been satisfactory in quality and extent except as limited by the effects of war. Oklahoma City and surrounding suburban areas have been so served by the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. In 1938, while boundary-defining actions were pending in the Corporation Commission between these two companies and other adjacent community telephone exchange companies, an agreement was reached, between all, fixing the exchange boundary lines of each. This was done at the suggestion of the telephone engineer of the commission, and, subsequently, maps showing the agreed boundaries were filed with and as a part of the tariff filings and. the pending actions were dismissed. Since then neither company has overstepped, the boundary.

The territory here involved is a strip one-half to one mile wide, east and west, and three and one-half miles long, north and south, lying just east of, and contiguous to this boundary line between the two exchange areas. It has been served by the Nicoma Park exchange and contains equipment constituting ten per cent of the total investment of said company, which derives one-eighth of its entire income from its 27 subscribers therein. Five-eighths of all people living between the 1938 boundary and Nicoma Park are subscribers of the service of that company. Service into Oklahoma City is obtained by exchange service into Nicoma Park, toll service into Oklahoma City and exchange service in the latter area.

A number of the residents of the area affected have their business and social contacts, and therefore desire exchange service, in Oklahoma City. The greatest benefit they will receive from the change in boundary is the nonpayment of toll service charge. Mr. Richardson, the telephone engineer, made a survey [443]*443of the territory involved at the request of the Corporation Commission, and filed an application for changing the boundary line so that the territory affected would be within the Oklahoma City exchange area. The commission granted the application and made an order requiring the Bell company to furnish exchange service to this area. The order did not prohibit the Nicoma Park company from continuing their service therein, although the final result of such order, as shown by the testimony, will be to “wash out” the Nicoma Park company and “wash in” the Oklahoma City company. The affected area is located about eight miles from the Oklahoma City northwest exchange and three and three-quarters miles from the Nicoma Park exchange. Testimony of expert witnesses was.to the effect that the line at which the same quality exchange service at the same cost could be furnished- from either exchange was six and one-half miles east of Oklahoma City and five miles west of Nicoma Park. To move the line east or west would have the effect of materially increasing the cost of service by the exchange from which the distance is increased.

Both companies appeal from the order of the commission and raise the following questions: jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission to make the order; that the order was a taking of the property of both companies in violation of the Constitution; that the order is not sustained by the evidence.

The companies contend and the commission admits that jurisdiction to make the order is not contained in 17 O.S. 1941 §133, but it is the theory of the commission that it has such authority by reason of the Constitution, art. 9, sec. 18, which is as follows:

“The Commission shall have the power and authority and be charged with the duty of supervising, regulating and controlling all transportation and transmission companies doing business in this state, in all matters relating to the performance of their public duties and their charges therefor, and of correcting abuses and preventing unjust discrimination and extortion by such companies; and to that end the commission shall, from time to time, prescribe and enforce against such companies, in the manner hereinafter authorized, such rates, charges, classifications of traffic, and rules and regulations, and shall require them to establish and maintain all such public service, facilities, and conveniences as may be reasonable and just, which said rates, charges, classifications, rules, regulations, and requirements, the commission may, from time to time, alter or amend. All rates, charges, classifications, rules, and regulations adopted, or acted upon, by any such company, inconsistent with those prescribed by the commission, within the scope of its authority, shall be unlawful and void. . . . and shall, from time to tune, make and enforce such requirements, rules, and regulations as may be necessary to prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination and extortion by any transportation or transmission company in favor of, or against any person, locality, community, connecting line, or kind of traffic, in the matter of car service, train or boat schedule, efficiency of transportation, transmission, or otherwise, in connection with the public duties of such company. Before the commission shall prescribe or fix any rate, charge or classification of traffic, and before it shall make any order, rule, regulation, or requirement directed against any one or more companies by name, the company or companies to be affected by such rate, charge, classification, order, rule, regulation, or requirement, shall first be given, by the commission, at least ten days’ notice of the time and place, when and where the contemplated action in the premises will be considered and disposed of, and shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to introduce evidence and to be heard thereon, to the end that justice may be done, and shall have process to enforce the attendance of witnesses; . . . The authority of the commission (subject to review on appeal as hereinafter provided) to prescribe rates, charges, and classifications of traffic, for transportation and transmission companies, shall, subject to regulation by law, be paramount,. but its - authority to prescribe any other rules, regulations or require-[444]*444merits for corporations or other persons shall be subject to the superior authority of the Legislature to legislate thereon by general laws; . . (Emphasis ours.)

—and particularly those provisions which we have italicized for convenience in reference. This contention is founded upon the interpretation of this provision in view of the assertion that the Bell company had undertaken to furnish exchange service to. other consumers outside the city limits of Oklahoma City, and therefore was duty bound, within reasonable'limitations, to serve all persons in the adjoining rural districts who-apply for service and, in particular, the residents of this disputed area.

The question presented is: Does the Oklahoma Constitution, art. 9, sec.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1947 OK 125, 180 P.2d 626, 198 Okla. 441, 1947 Okla. LEXIS 508, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nicoma-park-telephone-co-v-state-okla-1947.