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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>80222</law_id><section_number>56-54.6</section_number><catch_line>Duties of a competitive telephone company</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="56">Public Service Companies</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="2.1">Competitive Telephone Companies</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> A <span class="dictionary">competitive telephone company</span> that is an incumbent telephone carrier shall have the duty in its <span class="dictionary">incumbent territory</span> to extend or expand its facilities to furnish retail voice service and facilities when the <span class="dictionary">person</span>, firm, or <span class="dictionary">corporation</span> does not have service available from one or more alternative providers of wireline or terrestrial wireless communications services at <span class="dictionary">prevailing market rates</span>. <a id="paragraph-287171" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-54.6/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> A <span class="dictionary">competitive telephone company</span> shall continue to have the powers and duties provided in the first sentence of subdivision A 2 of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Duty to furnish adequate service at reasonable and uniform rates" href="/56-234/">56-234</a>. <a id="paragraph-287172" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-54.6/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> For the purposes of subsections A and B, the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> shall have the authority, upon request of an individual, <span class="dictionary">corporation</span>, or other entity, or a <span class="dictionary">competitive telephone company</span>, to determine whether the wireline or terrestrial wireless communications service available to the <span class="dictionary">party</span> requesting service is a reasonably adequate alternative to <span class="dictionary">local exchange telephone service</span>. <a id="paragraph-287173" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-54.6/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> The use by a <span class="dictionary">competitive telephone company</span> of wireline and terrestrial wireless technologies shall not be construed to grant any additional <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> or authority to the <span class="dictionary">Commission</span> over such technologies. <a id="paragraph-287174" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-54.6/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> For purposes of subsection A, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">prevailing market rates</span>&#x201D; means rates similar to those generally available to consumers in competitive areas for the same services. <a id="paragraph-287175" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-54.6/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> A <span class="dictionary">competitive telephone company</span> shall have the obligation to provide access to emergency 911 service to its end-user retail customers. <a id="paragraph-287176" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/56-54.6/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2014, cc. 340, 376.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
