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Page 88 TITLE 47—TELECOMMUNICATIONS § 251 § 251. Interconnection § 251 TITLE 47—TELECOMMUNICATIONS 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 Internet.’’ 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 telephone 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 telephone exchange 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 United States. 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 wireless 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
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