§ 251 TITLE 47— Page 88

material that is harmful to minors through parental (5) Reciprocal compensation control protections and self-regulation, such efforts have not provided a national solution to the problem The duty to establish reciprocal compensa- of minors accessing harmful material on the World tion arrangements for the transport and ter- Wide Web; mination of telecommunications. ‘‘(4) a prohibition on the distribution of material (c) Additional obligations of incumbent local ex- harmful to minors, combined with legitimate de- change carriers fenses, is currently the most effective and least re- strictive means by which to satisfy the compelling In addition to the duties contained in sub- government interest; and section (b), each incumbent local exchange car- ‘‘(5) notwithstanding the existence of protections rier has the following duties: that limit the distribution over the World Wide Web of material that is harmful to minors, parents, edu- (1) Duty to negotiate cators, and industry must continue efforts to find The duty to negotiate in good faith in ac- ways to protect children from being exposed to harm- cordance with section 252 of this title the par- ful material found on the .’’ ticular terms and conditions of agreements to STUDY BY COMMISSION ON ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION fulfill the duties described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (b) and this sub- Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title XIV, § 1405, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–739, as amended by Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, section. The requesting telecommunications § 1000(a)(9) [title V, § 5001(b)–(f), Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. carrier also has the duty to negotiate in good 1536, 1501A–591, 1501A–592; Pub. L. 106–229, title IV, § 401, faith the terms and conditions of such agree- June 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 476, established a Commission to ments. study methods to reduce access by minors to harmful (2) Interconnection material on the Internet and provided that the Com- mission would terminate 30 days after submitting a re- The duty to provide, for the facilities and port to Congress or Nov. 30, 2000, whichever occured equipment of any requesting telecommunica- earlier. tions carrier, interconnection with the local exchange carrier’s network— PART II—DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETITIVE (A) for the transmission and routing of MARKETS exchange service and exchange ac- § 251. Interconnection cess; (B) at any technically feasible point with- (a) General duty of telecommunications carriers in the carrier’s network; Each telecommunications carrier has the (C) that is at least equal in quality to that duty— provided by the local exchange carrier to it- (1) to interconnect directly or indirectly self or to any subsidiary, affiliate, or any with the facilities and equipment of other other party to which the carrier provides telecommunications carriers; and interconnection; and (2) not to install network features, func- (D) on rates, terms, and conditions that tions, or capabilities that do not comply with are just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory, the guidelines and standards established pur- in accordance with the terms and conditions suant to section 255 or 256 of this title. of the agreement and the requirements of this section and section 252 of this title. (b) Obligations of all local exchange carriers Each local exchange carrier has the following (3) Unbundled access duties: The duty to provide, to any requesting tele- (1) Resale communications carrier for the provision of a telecommunications service, nondiscrim- The duty not to prohibit, and not to impose inatory access to network elements on an un- unreasonable or discriminatory conditions or bundled basis at any technically feasible point limitations on, the resale of its telecommuni- on rates, terms, and conditions that are just, cations services. reasonable, and nondiscriminatory in accord- (2) Number portability ance with the terms and conditions of the The duty to provide, to the extent tech- agreement and the requirements of this sec- nically feasible, number portability in accord- tion and section 252 of this title. An incum- ance with requirements prescribed by the bent local exchange carrier shall provide such Commission. unbundled network elements in a manner that allows requesting carriers to combine such (3) Dialing parity elements in order to provide such tele- The duty to provide dialing parity to com- communications service. peting providers of service (4) Resale and telephone toll service, and the duty to permit all such providers to have nondiscrim- The duty— inatory access to telephone numbers, operator (A) to offer for resale at wholesale rates services, directory assistance, and directory any telecommunications service that the listing, with no unreasonable dialing delays. carrier provides at retail to subscribers who are not telecommunications carriers; and (4) Access to rights-of-way (B) not to prohibit, and not to impose un- The duty to afford access to the poles, ducts, reasonable or discriminatory conditions or conduits, and rights-of-way of such carrier to limitations on, the resale of such tele- competing providers of telecommunications communications service, except that a State services on rates, terms, and conditions that commission may, consistent with regula- are consistent with section 224 of this title. tions prescribed by the Commission under Page 89 TITLE 47—TELECOMMUNICATIONS § 251

this section, prohibit a reseller that obtains . Nothing in this paragraph shall at wholesale rates a telecommunications preclude the Commission from delegating to service that is available at retail only to a State commissions or other entities all or any category of subscribers from offering such portion of such jurisdiction. service to a different category of subscrib- (2) Costs ers. The cost of establishing telecommunications (5) Notice of changes numbering administration arrangements and The duty to provide reasonable public notice number portability shall be borne by all tele- of changes in the information necessary for communications carriers on a competitively the transmission and routing of services using neutral basis as determined by the Commis- that local exchange carrier’s facilities or net- sion. works, as well as of any other changes that (3) Universal emergency telephone number would affect the interoperability of those fa- cilities and networks. The Commission and any agency or entity to which the Commission has delegated author- (6) Collocation ity under this subsection shall designate 9–1–1 The duty to provide, on rates, terms, and as the universal emergency telephone number conditions that are just, reasonable, and non- within the United States for reporting an discriminatory, for physical collocation of emergency to appropriate authorities and re- equipment necessary for interconnection or questing assistance. The designation shall access to unbundled network elements at the apply to both wireline and telephone premises of the local exchange carrier, except service. In making the designation, the Com- that the carrier may provide for virtual col- mission (and any such agency or entity) shall location if the local exchange carrier dem- provide appropriate transition periods for onstrates to the State commission that phys- areas in which 9–1–1 is not in use as an emer- ical collocation is not practical for technical gency telephone number on October 26, 1999. reasons or because of space limitations. (f) Exemptions, suspensions, and modifications (d) Implementation (1) Exemption for certain rural telephone com- (1) In general panies Within 6 months after February 8, 1996, the (A) Exemption Commission shall complete all actions nec- Subsection (c) of this section shall not essary to establish regulations to implement apply to a rural telephone company until (i) the requirements of this section. such company has received a bona fide re- (2) Access standards quest for interconnection, services, or net- work elements, and (ii) the State commis- In determining what network elements sion determines (under subparagraph (B)) should be made available for purposes of sub- that such request is not unduly economi- section (c)(3), the Commission shall consider, cally burdensome, is technically feasible, at a minimum, whether— and is consistent with section 254 of this (A) access to such network elements as are title (other than subsections (b)(7) and proprietary in nature is necessary; and (c)(1)(D) thereof). (B) the failure to provide access to such network elements would impair the ability (B) State termination of exemption and im- of the telecommunications carrier seeking plementation schedule access to provide the services that it seeks The party making a bona fide request of a to offer. rural telephone company for interconnec- (3) Preservation of State access regulations tion, services, or network elements shall submit a notice of its request to the State In prescribing and enforcing regulations to commission. The State commission shall implement the requirements of this section, conduct an inquiry for the purpose of deter- the Commission shall not preclude the en- mining whether to terminate the exemption forcement of any regulation, order, or policy under subparagraph (A). Within 120 days of a State commission that— after the State commission receives notice (A) establishes access and interconnection of the request, the State commission shall obligations of local exchange carriers; terminate the exemption if the request is (B) is consistent with the requirements of not unduly economically burdensome, is this section; and technically feasible, and is consistent with (C) does not substantially prevent imple- section 254 of this title (other than sub- mentation of the requirements of this sec- sections (b)(7) and (c)(1)(D) thereof). Upon tion and the purposes of this part. termination of the exemption, a State com- (e) Numbering administration mission shall establish an implementation (1) Commission authority and jurisdiction schedule for compliance with the request that is consistent in time and manner with The Commission shall create or designate Commission regulations. one or more impartial entities to administer telecommunications numbering and to make (C) Limitation on exemption such numbers available on an equitable basis. The exemption provided by this paragraph The Commission shall have exclusive jurisdic- shall not apply with respect to a request tion over those portions of the North Amer- under subsection (c) from a cable operator ican Numbering Plan that pertain to the providing video programming, and seeking § 252 TITLE 47—TELECOMMUNICATIONS Page 90

to provide any telecommunications service, (B)(i) on February 8, 1996, was deemed to in the area in which the rural telephone be a member of the exchange carrier associa- company provides video programming. The tion pursuant to section 69.601(b) of the Com- limitation contained in this subparagraph mission’s regulations (47 C.F.R. 69.601(b)); or shall not apply to a rural telephone company (ii) is a person or entity that, on or after that is providing video programming on Feb- February 8, 1996, became a successor or as- ruary 8, 1996. sign of a member described in clause (i). (2) Suspensions and modifications for rural (2) Treatment of comparable carriers as incum- carriers bents A local exchange carrier with fewer than 2 The Commission may, by rule, provide for percent of the Nation’s subscriber lines in- the treatment of a local exchange carrier (or stalled in the aggregate nationwide may peti- class or category thereof) as an incumbent tion a State commission for a suspension or local exchange carrier for purposes of this sec- modification of the application of a require- tion if— ment or requirements of subsection (b) or (c) (A) such carrier occupies a position in the to telephone exchange service facilities speci- market for telephone exchange service with- fied in such petition. The State commission in an area that is comparable to the position shall grant such petition to the extent that, occupied by a carrier described in paragraph and for such duration as, the State commis- (1); sion determines that such suspension or modi- (B) such carrier has substantially replaced fication— an incumbent local exchange carrier de- (A) is necessary— scribed in paragraph (1); and (i) to avoid a significant adverse eco- (C) such treatment is consistent with the nomic impact on users of telecommunica- public interest, convenience, and necessity tions services generally; and the purposes of this section. (ii) to avoid imposing a requirement that (i) Savings provision is unduly economically burdensome; or Nothing in this section shall be construed to (iii) to avoid imposing a requirement limit or otherwise affect the Commission’s au- that is technically infeasible; and thority under section 201 of this title. (B) is consistent with the public interest, (June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title II, § 251, as added convenience, and necessity. Pub. L. 104–104, title I, § 101(a), Feb. 8, 1996, 110 The State commission shall act upon any peti- Stat. 61; amended Pub. L. 106–81, § 3(a), Oct. 26, tion filed under this paragraph within 180 days 1999, 113 Stat. 1287.) after receiving such petition. Pending such ac- AMENDMENTS tion, the State commission may suspend en- forcement of the requirement or requirements 1999—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 106–81 added par. (3). to which the petition applies with respect to § 252. Procedures for negotiation, arbitration, the petitioning carrier or carriers. and approval of agreements (g) Continued enforcement of exchange access (a) Agreements arrived at through negotiation and interconnection requirements (1) Voluntary negotiations On and after February 8, 1996, each local ex- Upon receiving a request for interconnec- change carrier, to the extent that it provides tion, services, or network elements pursuant wireline services, shall provide exchange access, to section 251 of this title, an incumbent local information access, and exchange services for exchange carrier may negotiate and enter into such access to interexchange carriers and infor- a binding agreement with the requesting tele- mation service providers in accordance with the communications carrier or carriers without same equal access and nondiscriminatory inter- regard to the standards set forth in sub- connection restrictions and obligations (includ- sections (b) and (c) of section 251 of this title. ing receipt of compensation) that apply to such The agreement shall include a detailed sched- carrier on the date immediately preceding Feb- ule of itemized charges for interconnection ruary 8, 1996, under any court order, consent de- and each service or network element included cree, or regulation, order, or policy of the Com- in the agreement. The agreement, including mission, until such restrictions and obligations any interconnection agreement negotiated be- are explicitly superseded by regulations pre- fore February 8, 1996, shall be submitted to the scribed by the Commission after February 8, State commission under subsection (e) of this 1996. During the period beginning on February 8, section. 1996, and until such restrictions and obligations are so superseded, such restrictions and obliga- (2) Mediation tions shall be enforceable in the same manner as Any party negotiating an agreement under regulations of the Commission. this section may, at any point in the negotia- (h) ‘‘Incumbent local exchange carrier’’ defined tion, ask a State commission to participate in (1) Definition the negotiation and to mediate any differences arising in the course of the negotiation. For purposes of this section, the term ‘‘in- (b) Agreements arrived at through compulsory cumbent local exchange carrier’’ means, with arbitration respect to an area, the local exchange carrier that— (1) Arbitration (A) on February 8, 1996, provided telephone During the period from the 135th to the 160th exchange service in such area; and day (inclusive) after the date on which an in-