[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4445 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4445

To exempt from reciprocal compensation requirements telecommunications 
                        traffic to the Internet.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2000

  Mr. Tauzin (for himself, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Bliley, and Mr. Boucher) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To exempt from reciprocal compensation requirements telecommunications 
                        traffic to the Internet.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Reciprocal Compensation Adjustment 
Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FROM RECIPROCAL COMPENSATION REQUIREMENT.

    Section 251 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(5), by inserting before the period at 
        the end the following: ``, subject to subsection (f)(3)''; and
            (2) in subsection (f), by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(3) Exemption from reciprocal compensation requirement.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection 
                (b)(5), after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 
                no local exchange carrier shall be required to make any 
                payment for the transport or termination of 
                telecommunications to the Internet or any provider of 
                Internet access service.
                    ``(B) Jurisdiction.--Such transport or termination 
                shall be considered interstate communications and 
                subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the 
                Commission.
                    ``(C) No effect on existing agreements.--This 
                paragraph does not affect the rights of the parties to 
                any interconnection agreement in effect on May 15, 
                2000, during the existing term of any such agreement.
                    ``(D) Grandfathered agreements not required to be 
                offered to other carriers.--A local exchange carrier is 
                not required by section 252(i) to offer to any other 
                carrier any reciprocal compensation arrangement that is 
                inconsistent with subparagraph (A) and that is in an 
                agreement preserved by subparagraph (C).
                    ``(E) Definitions.--For the purposes of this 
                paragraph--
                            ``(i) the term `existing term' means the 
                        initial period of any interconnection agreement 
                        and does not include any period provided for 
                        negotiation or any extension of the initial 
                        period; and
                            ``(ii) the terms `Internet' and `Internet 
                        access service' have the meaning provided in 
                        section 231(e).''.
                                 <all>