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Session of 2000
          HOUSE BILL No. 2749           By Representative Ballou          

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  8             AN  ACT relating to consumer protection; concerning change of telecom-
  9             munication service provider; amending K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 50-6,103
10             and repealing the existing section.
11      
12       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
13             Section  1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 50-6,103 is hereby amended to read as
14       follows: 50-6,103. (a) As used in this section:
15             (1) "Express authorization" means an express, affirmative act by a
16       consumer clearly agreeing to the change in the consumer's telecommu-
17       nications carrier or local exchange carrier to another carrier.
18             (2) "Telecommunications services" has the meaning provided by
19       K.S.A. 66-1,187 and amendments thereto.
20             (3) "Consumer" means any individual, corporation, partnership, as-
21       sociation, cooperative or other legal entity.
22             (b) No local exchange carrier or telecommunications carrier shall sub-
23       mit to a local exchange carrier an order to change a consumer's telecom-
24       munications carrier or local exchange carrier to another carrier without
25       having obtained the express authorization of the consumer authorized to
26       make the change. The local exchange carrier or telecommunications car-
27       rier requesting the change shall have the burden of proving the express
28       authorization by a preponderance of the evidence.
29             (c) No local exchange carrier, telecommunications carrier or third
30       party utilized to verify an order to change a consumer's telecommunica-
31       tions carrier or local exchange carrier to another carrier shall:
32             (1) Engage in any activity, conduct or representation while soliciting
33       or verifying a change in a consumer's telecommunications carrier or local
34       exchange carrier to another carrier that has the capacity to mislead, de-
35       ceive or confuse the consumer;
36             (2) employ a box or container used to collect entries for sweepstakes,
37       contests or drawings to gather letters of agency or other documents that
38       constitute authorizations by consumers to change the consumers' tele-
39       communications carrier or local exchange carrier to another carrier or to
40       change or add to the consumers' other telecommunications services; or
41             (3) use any methods not approved by the federal communications
42       commission statutes, rules and regulations (as in effect on the effective
43       date of this act) or state corporation commission rules and regulations to

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  1       change a consumer's telecommunications carrier or local exchange carrier
  2       to another carrier.
  3             (d) Any local exchange carrier or telecommunications carrier that vi-
  4       olates subsection (b) or (c) shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less
  5       than $5,000 nor more than $20,000 for each such violation instead of the
  6       penalty provided for in subsection (a) of K.S.A. 50-636, and amendments
  7       thereto.
  8             (e) Any violation of this section is a deceptive and unconscionable act
  9       or practice under the provisions of the Kansas consumer protection act
10       and shall be subject to any and all of the enforcement provisions of the
11       Kansas consumer protection act. Nothing in this section shall preclude
12       the state corporation commission from exerting its authority as it pertains
13       to intrastate services nor the attorney general from pursuing violations of
14       any other provisions of the Kansas consumer protection act by a local
15       exchange carrier or telecommunications carrier.
16             (f) All local exchange carriers shall offer consumers the option of no-
17       tifying the local exchange carrier in writing that they do not desire any
18       change of telecommunications carrier regardless of any orders to the con-
19       trary submitted by any third party. The consumer shall be permitted to
20       cancel such notification or to change its telecommunications carrier by
21       notifying the consumer's local exchange carrier accordingly. All local
22       exchange carriers shall annually notify the consumers of the carrier's tel-
23       ecommunications services of the availability of this option.
24             (g) This section shall be part of and supplemental to the Kansas con-
25       sumer protection act. 
26       Sec.  2. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 50-6,103 is hereby repealed.
27        Sec.  3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
28       publication in the statute book.