Idaho PUC Keeps State USF Fees as Revamp Work Continues
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is “anxious” to hear staff and stakeholder recommendations for a possible legislative fix for state USF to present to the legislature next year, the PUC said in a Thursday order maintaining current state USF surcharges…
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in docket GNR-T-18-06. The state commission is mulling possible IUSF revamp in docket GNR-T-17-05 (see 1804050052). Effective Oct. 1, the PUC held fees at 25 cents for each residential landline, 44 cents for each business line and 0.9 cent per minute for intrastate long-distance calls, said Thursday’s order. IUSF surcharge revenue from local exchange services increased more than $407,000 year over year to about $1 million in 2018, while long-distance surcharge revenue increased about $190,500 to more than $834,000, the PUC said. The year-end cash balance was less than $250,000, it said. Local access lines and intrastate long-distance minutes “generally declined over the last several years,” but prices have increased, the PUC said. Local business lines declined 14 percent, residential lines dropped 6 percent and minutes decreased 12 percent in the 2017 fiscal year, it said. “These factors continue to make it difficult to predict the necessary IUSF fund balance for the next fiscal year, and to determine appropriate rates so qualifying telephone companies can maintain IUSF eligibility.”