(1)Only a telecommunications carrier designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier by the commission shall be eligible to receive universal service fund support.
(2)The commission shall upon its own motion or upon request designate a telecommunications carrier that meets the requirements of subsection (3) of this section as an eligible telecommunications carrier for a service area designated by the commission. Upon request and consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity, the commission may, in the case of an area served by a rural telephone company, and shall, in the case of all other areas, designate more than one (1) telecommunications carrier as an eligible telecommunications carrier for a service area designated by the commission, so long as the requesting t
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(1) Only a telecommunications carrier designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier by the commission shall be eligible to receive universal service fund support.
(2) The commission shall upon its own motion or upon request designate a telecommunications carrier that meets the requirements of subsection (3) of this section as an eligible telecommunications carrier for a service area designated by the commission. Upon request and consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity, the commission may, in the case of an area served by a rural telephone company, and shall, in the case of all other areas, designate more than one (1) telecommunications carrier as an eligible telecommunications carrier for a service area designated by the commission, so long as the requesting telecommunications carrier meets the requirements set forth in this section. Before designating an additional eligible telecommunications carrier for an area served by a rural telephone company, the commission shall find that the designation is in the public interest.
(3) A telecommunications carrier requesting designation as an eligible telecommunications carrier shall, throughout the service area for which the designation is made:
(a) Offer the services which are within the definition of universal service adopted by the commission, using its own facilities or a combination of its own facilities and resale of another telecommunications carrier’s services (including the services offered by another eligible telecommunications carrier); and
(b) Advertise the availability of such services and the charges therefor using media of general distribution.
(c) For the purpose of being eligible to receive support from the fund, the eligible telecommunications carrier shall also offer low-income telecommunication services pursuant to chapter 9, title 56, Idaho Code.
(4) The commission shall permit an eligible telecommunications carrier to relinquish its designation as such a carrier in any area served by more than one (1) eligible telecommunications carrier. An eligible telecommunications carrier that seeks to relinquish its eligible telecommunications carrier designation for an area served by more than one (1) eligible telecommunications carrier shall give no less than thirty (30) days notice to the commission of its intent to relinquish such designation. Prior to permitting a telecommunications carrier designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier to cease providing universal service in an area served by more than one (1) eligible telecommunications carrier, the commission shall require the remaining eligible telecommunications carrier or carriers to ensure that all customers served by the relinquishing carrier will continue to be served.