{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/56-531.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/56-531.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/56-531.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/56-531.html"}],"law_id":86664,"edition_id":1,"section_id":86664,"structure_id":16503,"section_number":"56-531","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1986, c. 337; 1987, c. 295; 1998, c. 64.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, which may be cited as the “Small Investor-Owned Telephone Utility Act”:\n\t\t“Commission” means the “State Corporation Commission.”\n\t\t“Small investor-owned telephone utility” means any investor-owned public utility (other than a cooperative) which serves fewer than 100,000 access lines in Virginia and which owns, manages, or controls any plant or equipment or any part of a plant or equipment within the Commonwealth for the conveyance of telephone messages, either directly or indirectly, to or for the public.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":310368,"text":"As used in this chapter, which may be cited as the “Small Investor-Owned Telephone Utility Act”:\n\t\t“Commission” means the “State Corporation Commission.”\n\t\t“Small investor-owned telephone utility” means any investor-owned public utility (other than a cooperative) which serves fewer than 100,000 access lines in Virginia and which owns, manages, or controls any plant or equipment or any part of a plant or equipment within the Commonwealth for the conveyance of telephone messages, either directly or indirectly, to or for the public.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16503,"edition_id":1,"name":"Small Investor-Owned Telephone Utility Act","identifier":"19","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12881,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:21:29","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:21:29","permalink":{"id":250337,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16503,"identifier":"19","token":"56\/19","url":"\/56\/19\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12881,"edition_id":1,"name":"Public Service Companies","identifier":"56","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","permalink":{"id":248473,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12881,"identifier":"56","token":"56","url":"\/56\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":86664,"structure_id":16503,"section_number":"56-531","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/56-531\/","token":"56\/19\/56-531","metadata":false},{"id":86330,"structure_id":16503,"section_number":"56-532","catch_line":"Tariff filings","url":"\/56-532\/","token":"56\/19\/56-532","metadata":false},{"id":76084,"structure_id":16503,"section_number":"56-533","catch_line":"Regulation by State Corporation Commission","url":"\/56-533\/","token":"56\/19\/56-533","metadata":false},{"id":69999,"structure_id":16503,"section_number":"56-534","catch_line":"Construction of chapter; conflicting laws","url":"\/56-534\/","token":"56\/19\/56-534","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":86330,"structure_id":16503,"section_number":"56-532","catch_line":"Tariff filings","url":"\/56-532\/","token":"56\/19\/56-532","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/56-531\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1986. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 337 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1986 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1987, chapter 295; in 1998, chapter 64<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":63163,"section_number":"56-235.4","catch_line":"Prohibition of multiple rate increases within any twelve-month period; exception","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-235.4\/"},{"id":55844,"section_number":"56-235.5","catch_line":"Telephone regulatory alternatives","order_by":null,"url":"\/56-235.5\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":250339,"object_type":"law","relational_id":86664,"identifier":"56-531","token":"56\/19\/56-531","url":"\/56-531\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/56-531\/","token":"56\/19\/56-531","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 56-531","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, which may be cited as the “Small Investor-Owned Telephone Utility<\/span> Act”:\n\t\t“Commission<\/span>” means the “State Corporation<\/span> Commission<\/span>.”\n\t\t“Small investor-owned telephone utility<\/span>” means any investor-owned public utility (other than a cooperative) which serves fewer than 100,000 access lines in Virginia and which owns, manages, or controls any plant or equipment or any part of a plant or equipment within the Commonwealth for the conveyance of telephone messages, either directly or indirectly, to or for the public.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 56-531)\n\nAs used in this chapter, which may be cited as the “Small Investor-Owned\nTelephone Utility Act”:\n\t\t“Commission” means the “State Corporation Commission.”\n\t\t“Small investor-owned telephone utility” means any investor-owned\npublic utility (other than a cooperative) which serves fewer than 100,000 access\nlines in Virginia and which owns, manages, or controls any plant or equipment or\nany part of a plant or equipment within the Commonwealth for the conveyance of\ntelephone messages, either directly or indirectly, to or for the public.\n\nHISTORY: 1986, c. 337; 1987, c. 295; 1998, c. 64.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}