§ 46-5-185 — Investigation and reporting requirements

(a) A customer shall first report any unwanted, unauthorized change of the customer's primary local exchange or long distance carrier to the customer's current primary local exchange or long distance carrier or the commission; and, thereafter, such carrier shall investigate this complaint along with the soliciting local exchange or long distance carrier in order to determine if the change was authorized in accordance with the procedures specified in Code Sections 46-5-183 and 46-5-184 . If the customer's current primary local exchange or long distance carrier and the soliciting local exchange or long distance carrier have exhausted all means of making a determination regarding authorization of such change, then they may employ the assistance of the commission in resolving the complaint. (b) If the soliciting carrier subscribes to an expedited primary interexchange carrier switchback service, no investigation will be conducted by the customer's current primary local exchange carrier unless the customer specifically requests that an investigation be conducted. In these situations, the customer shall be switched back promptly to the former primary long distance carrier at no charge to the customer, consistent with this article. (c) All local exchange companies shall maintain monthly records of the number of unauthorized changes and expedited switchbacks of a customer's primary local exchange or long distance service carrier and shall report such data to the commission on a quarterly basis within 45 days following the end of the quarter. (d) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to require a customer reporting any unwanted, unauthorized change to exhaust any administrative remedy or remedies that such customer may have available by law before filing an action under the provisions of Code Section 46-5-191 .