PSC-16-16-00003-P Waiver and/or Clarification of Certain Commission Requirements Related to Distribution of Telephone Directories

4/20/16 N.Y. St. Reg. PSC-16-16-00003-P

NEW YORK STATE REGISTER

VOLUME XXXVIII, ISSUE 16

April 20, 2016

RULE MAKING ACTIVITIES

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

PROPOSED RULE MAKING

NO HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

 

I.D No. PSC-16-16-00003-P

Waiver and/or Clarification of Certain Commission Requirements Related to Distribution of Telephone Directories

PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following proposed rule:

Proposed Action:

The Commission is considering a petition by Dex Media Inc. for an additional waiver and/or clarification of 16 NYCRR 602.10(b) pertaining to distribution of telephone directories.

Statutory authority:

Public Service Law, section 94(2)

Subject:

Waiver and/or clarification of certain Commission requirements related to distribution of telephone directories.

Purpose:

To consider a waiver and/or clarification of certain Commission requirements related to distribution of telephone directories.

Substance of proposed rule:

The Public Service Commission is considering whether to approve, modify or reject, in whole or in part a petition of Dex Media Inc. (Dex) for a waiver and/or clarification of 16 NYCRR § 602.10(b) and other rules relating to contents and distribution of telephone directories. Dex seeks to discontinue delivery of business white and yellow pages to some households, to be implemented on a market-by-market basis as Dex determines the needs in a particular market. Dex states there would not be a “flash cut” throughout the Verizon New York Inc. (Verizon) territories in the State. Over time, for a given market, Dex would make a market-specific determination to curtail the extent of distribution of paper telephone directories. Thereafter, in year one, on or about the date that Dex would otherwise have conducted a saturation delivery, Verizon would include a bill message or insert advising its customers that paper copies of that market’s affected directories are available upon request made to Dex. The notice would include a toll-free number to make a request. Dex seeks a Commission ruling allowing it to make directories containing the listings and required front book information online, by waiving and clarifying the Rules to the extent necessary to transition to digital and online services. Dex requests that its petition be considered along with Verizon’s petition in Case 16-C-0186. Dex asks that it be allowed sufficiently broad flexibility to permit a full transition from paper to digital directories that is driven by consumer demand and usage, rather than out of date regulations. Dex states that consumers seek environmentally-sound options that minimize potential harms to the public interest. The Commission may approve, modify or reject, in whole or in part, the relief proposed and may resolve related matters.

Text of proposed rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained by filing a Document Request Form (F-96) located on our website http://www.dps.ny.gov/f96dir.htm. For questions, contact:

John Pitucci, Public Service Commission, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350, [phone], email: [e-mail]

Data, views or arguments may be submitted to:

Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350, [phone], email: [e-mail]

Public comment will be received until:

45 days after publication of this notice.

Regulatory Impact Statement, Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, Rural Area Flexibility Analysis and Job Impact Statement

Statements and analyses are not submitted with this notice because the proposed rule is within the definition contained in section 102(2)(a)(ii) of the State Administrative Procedure Act.

(16-C-0190SP1)