3.1. Construction.
Telecommunications plant shall be designed, constructed,
maintained, and operated in accordance with the provisions outlined in the
current National Electric Safety Code or Rural Utility Service Standard, or
such other appropriate regulation as may be prescribed.
3.2. Switching service.
In order to provide and maintain the best possible service
for all telephone customers, the telephone company shall not be required to
provide exchange or message toll switching services to lines that introduce
energy into the network at levels of frequencies that will interfere with other
users.
3.3. Emergency
operation.
a. The telephone company shall
make reasonable provisions to meet emergencies resulting from failures of
lighting or power service, sudden and prolonged increases in traffic, illness
of personnel, or from fire, storm, or other acts of God, and the telephone
company shall inform employees as to procedures to be followed in the event of
emergency in order to prevent or minimize interruption or impairment of
telephone service.
b. It is
essential that all switching locations have some provision for emergency power.
At switching locations without installed emergency power facilities, there
shall be a mobile power unit available which can be delivered and connected on
short notice.
c. At switching
locations serving in excess of five thousand (5,000) lines, a permanent
auxiliary power unit shall be installed.
d. Selective interruption of telephone
service may be necessary to ensure continuance of service to essential users
during emergency conditions.
3.4. Construction work near utility
facilities.
a. Upon receipt of written or
verbal notification from the property owner, or from a contractor, of work that
may affect its facilities used for serving the public, the telephone company
shall investigate and decide what action, if any, must reasonably be taken to
protect or alter telephone facilities in order to protect service to the public
and to avoid unnecessary damage, such as identifying in a suitable manner the
location of any underground facilities which may be affected by the
work.
b. The telephone company
shall take such action as is reasonably and legally necessary to protect,
remove, alter, or reconstruct its facilities, and shall perform such work with
reasonable dispatch taking into account the conditions to be met: Provided,
that nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed to affect any right which the
telephone company may have to require advance payment or adequate assurance of
payment of the reasonable cost thereof to the telephone company by the property
owner or contractor.
c. The
telephone company may, in order to protect its interest, require that the owner
or contractor perform certain work upon that part of the service piping or
wiring on, or being removed from, the property on which the work is being
performed. This subdivision is not intended to affect the responsibility of the
contractor or owner, or the liability or legal rights of any party.
d. The telephone company shall provide a
listing in each of its directories advising the public and contractors of an
appropriate office to call for guidance and directions for performing
excavations, etc., near telephone facilities.
