Volume 85
Public Law 92–131
To amend the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to establish a Federal-State Joint Board to recommend uniform procedures for determining what part of the property and expenses of communication common carriers shall be considered as used in interstate or foreign communication toll service, and what part of such property and expenses shall be considered as used in intrastate and exchange service; and for other purposes.
Approved September 30, 1971
Statutory text
AN ACT
To amend the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to establish a Federal-State Joint Board to recommend uniform procedures for determining what part of the property and expenses of communication common carriers shall be considered as used in interstate or foreign communication toll service, and what part of such property and expenses shall be considered as used in intrastate and exchange service; and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1.
This Act may be cited as the “Federal-State Communications Joint Board Act”,
Sec. 2.
The Communications Act of 1934, as amended, is further
amended by adding a new subsection (c) at the end of section 410 (47 U.S.C. 410) to read as follows:
“(c) The Commission shall refer any proceeding regarding the jurisdictional separation of common carrier property and expenses between interstate and intrastate operations, which it institutes pursuant to a notice of proposed rulemaking and, except as provided in section 409 of this Act, may refer any other matter, relating to common
carrier communications of joint Federal-State concern, to a Federal-State Joint Board. The Joint Board shall possess the same jurisdiction, powers, duties, and obligations as a joint board established under subsection (a) of this section, and shall prepare a recommended decision for prompt review and action by the Commission. In addition, the State members of the Joint Board shall sit with the Commission en banc at any oral argument that may be scheduled in the proceeding. The Commission shall also afford the State members of the Joint Board an opportunity to participate in its deliberations, but not vote, when it has under consideration the recommended decision of the Joint Board or any further decisional action that may be required in the proceeding. The Joint Board shall be composed of three Commissioners of the Commission and of four State commissioners nominated by the national organization of the State commissions, as referred to in sections 202(b) and 205(f) of the Interstate Commerce Act, and approved by the Commission. The Chairman of the Commission, or another Commissioner designated by the Commission, shall serve as Chairman of the Joint Board.”
Approved September 30, 1971.