Rhode Island has forbidden state regulators from regulating the state’s...
Rhode Island has forbidden state regulators from regulating the state’s wireless companies except for certain provisions touching on 911 and relay service and other small exceptions. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D) signed House Bill 5454 into law after receiving it last…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
week. “The interstate, and often international, nature of the wireless communication industry makes a state-by-state regulatory approach problematic and may limit access and increase costs for consumers,” according to the bill text (http://bit.ly/12huMpU). It enshrines into law what it calls the Wireless Telephone Regulatory Modernization Act, saying: “Notwithstanding any general or public law to the contrary, the [Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission] and the [Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers] shall have no jurisdiction or authority over wireless service.” This law promotes wireless investment and innovation, “key to ensuring a competitive marketplace,” said Jamie Hastings, CTIA vice president-external and state affairs, in a statement Tuesday, applauding the bill’s signing. “With healthy and strong competition, consumers have a variety of providers to choose from. That’s why it’s great that Rhode Island joined 37 other states and the District of Columbia by enacting legislation that avoids the creation of a separate set of state rules for wireless technology.”