04 NCAC 08 .0101. PURPOSE

(a)  The purpose of the North Carolina Rural Electrification Authority ("the Authority") is to secure and continue to provide dependable electric and telephone services to customers served by the electric membership corporations ("EMCs") and the telephone membership corporations ("TMCs") in predominately rural areas of the state at the lowest possible cost and on a nondiscriminatory basis, as set forth in G.S. 117-16.1.  To accomplish this purpose, the Authority shall act as an agent in securing loans or grants from any agency of the United States Government.  The Authority also serves as a forum to receive and investigate complaints from members of the electric cooperatives to arrive at a just and satisfactory solution to the member complaints.

(b)  The Authority, pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub. LA. No. 104-104, 110 Stat. 56 (1996) ("the Act") shall establish procedural schedules for Petitions for Arbitration of interconnection agreements between TMCs and other local and wireless providers.  The Authority shall render final decisions for these arbitrations based on information received from testimony, discovery and hearings.  The Authority shall review and approve the interconnection agreements and their amendments in accordance with Section 252(e) of the Telecommunications Act.

(c)  The Board of the Authority shall choose a Secretary, who is also the Administrator of the Authority.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 117‑2; 117-2(11a); 117-3.1; 117-4; 117-26; 117-31; 117-32; 47 U.S.C. 251;

Eff. February 1, 1976;

Amended Eff. May 1, 2014.