Session of 2000
HOUSE BILL No. 2749
By Representative Ballou
8 AN ACT
relating to consumer protection; concerning change of telecom-
9 munication
service provider; amending K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 50-6,103
10 and repealing the
existing section.
11
12 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the
State of Kansas:
13 Section
1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 50-6,103 is hereby amended to read as
14 follows: 50-6,103. (a) As used in this
section:
15 (1) "Express
authorization" means an express, affirmative act by a
16 consumer clearly agreeing to the change in
the consumer's telecommu-
17 nications carrier or local exchange carrier
to another carrier.
18
(2) "Telecommunications services" has the meaning provided
by
19 K.S.A. 66-1,187 and amendments thereto.
20 (3) "Consumer"
means any individual, corporation, partnership, as-
21 sociation, cooperative or other legal
entity.
22 (b) No local
exchange carrier or telecommunications carrier shall sub-
23 mit to a local exchange carrier an order to
change a consumer's telecom-
24 munications carrier or local exchange
carrier to another carrier without
25 having obtained the express authorization
of the consumer authorized to
26 make the change. The local exchange carrier
or telecommunications car-
27 rier requesting the change shall have the
burden of proving the express
28 authorization by a preponderance of the
evidence.
29 (c) No local
exchange carrier, telecommunications carrier or third
30 party utilized to verify an order to change
a consumer's telecommunica-
31 tions carrier or local exchange carrier to
another carrier shall:
32 (1) Engage in any
activity, conduct or representation while soliciting
33 or verifying a change in a consumer's
telecommunications carrier or local
34 exchange carrier to another carrier that
has the capacity to mislead, de-
35 ceive or confuse the consumer;
36 (2) employ a box
or container used to collect entries for sweepstakes,
37 contests or drawings to gather letters of
agency or other documents that
38 constitute authorizations by consumers to
change the consumers' tele-
39 communications carrier or local exchange
carrier to another carrier or to
40 change or add to the consumers' other
telecommunications services; or
41 (3) use any
methods not approved by the federal communications
42 commission statutes, rules and regulations
(as in effect on the effective
43 date of this act) or state corporation
commission rules and regulations to
2
1 change a consumer's
telecommunications carrier or local exchange carrier
2 to another carrier.
3 (d) Any
local exchange carrier or telecommunications carrier that vi-
4 olates subsection (b) or (c) shall be
subject to a civil penalty of not less
5 than $5,000 nor more than $20,000 for
each such violation instead of the
6 penalty provided for in subsection
(a) of K.S.A. 50-636, and amendments
7 thereto.
8 (e) Any
violation of this section is a deceptive and unconscionable act
9 or practice under the provisions of
the Kansas consumer protection act
10 and shall be subject to any and all of the
enforcement provisions of the
11 Kansas consumer protection act. Nothing in
this section shall preclude
12 the state corporation commission from
exerting its authority as it pertains
13 to intrastate services nor the attorney
general from pursuing violations of
14 any other provisions of the Kansas consumer
protection act by a local
15 exchange carrier or telecommunications
carrier.
16 (f) All local
exchange carriers shall offer consumers the option of no-
17 tifying the local exchange carrier in
writing that they do not desire any
18 change of telecommunications carrier
regardless of any orders to the con-
19 trary submitted by any third party. The
consumer shall be permitted to
20 cancel such notification or to change its
telecommunications carrier by
21 notifying the consumer's local exchange
carrier accordingly. All local
22 exchange carriers shall annually notify the
consumers of the carrier's tel-
23 ecommunications services of the
availability of this option.
24 (g) This section
shall be part of and supplemental to the Kansas con-
25 sumer protection act.
26 Sec. 2. K.S.A. 1999 Supp.
50-6,103 is hereby repealed.
27 Sec. 3. This act shall
take effect and be in force from and after its
28 publication in the statute book.