New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 17 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND UTILITY SERVICES
Chapter 11 - TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Part 10 - STATE RURAL UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND
Section 17.11.10.13 - DISPUTE RESOLUTION

(1) if any of the parties or staff makes a request for mediation, the commission may, in its discretion, designate a mediator consistent with Subsection B of 17.1.2.20 NMAC;

(2) the mediator may be a permanent or temporary employee of the commission or another state agency or any other individual who is acceptable to the parties and staff; if the parties request a mediator who is not an employee of the commission, the commission shall not approve the request unless the parties agree in writing to bear as their own the costs of obtaining the mediator's services; the mediator shall not be the hearing examiner who is assigned to the case; the mediator shall have no official, financial, or personal conflict of interest with respect to the issues in controversy, unless such interest is fully disclosed in writing to all parties and staff at the time the mediator is assigned by the commission and unless all parties agree that the mediator may serve; the mediator shall not subsequent to serving as a mediator participate in the proceeding as a hearing examiner, advisory staff, staff counsel or expert witness, or as an attorney, expert witness, or representative of any party to the proceeding;

(3) the mediator may be assigned by the commission at the same time as the commission assigns the case to a hearing examiner; the mediator shall not discuss the mediation conference with any commissioner or hearing examiner hearing the case;

(4) the mediator shall notify the parties and staff by telephone or mail of the time and place of the mediation conference, which will be held at commission offices unless otherwise directed by the mediator; the notice may direct the parties and staff to send the mediator, but not other parties or staff, their settlement positions and other necessary information that could facilitate the mediation conference, including the results of staff's investigation of the complaint;

(5) if the parties are able to reach a settlement of their dispute, in appropriate cases the mediator shall assist the parties in preparing a written agreement to reflect that resolution; if the parties are unable to reach a complete settlement of their dispute, the mediator shall advise the parties that they may request arbitration or file a formal complaint with the commission;

(6) nothing shall preclude the commission from using different mediation procedures.

(1) a party may request arbitration of any dispute; the party's request shall be in writing to the commission and shall include a concise statement of the grounds for the complaint, the remedy sought, and an acknowledgment that the party has read 17.1.2.22 NMAC and agrees to be bound by its terms;

(2) the commission or its authorized representative shall forward the request for arbitration to the other party together with a copy of Subsection A of 17.1.2.16 NMAC and 1.2.18 NMAC and require that the other party submit a written response within 10 days of the date of the commission's letter forwarding the request;

(3) if the responding party agrees to arbitration of the dispute, he shall include in his response to the complainant's request a concise statement of his position with regard to the merits of the complaint and an acknowledgment that he has read 17.1.2.22 NMAC and agrees to be bound by its terms; if the responding party will not agree to arbitration, he shall so state in the response;

(4) if the responding party either fails to respond to a request for arbitration or does not agree to arbitration, the initiating party retains the right to proceed with a formal complaint;

(5) if both the initiating party and the responding party agree to arbitration, the commission shall designate an arbitrator; the arbitrator may be a permanent or temporary employee of the commission or another state agency or any other individual who is acceptable to the parties to the complaint; the designated arbitrator shall have no official, financial or personal conflict of interest with respect to the issues in controversy, unless such interest is fully disclosed in writing to all parties at the time of the commission's designation and all parties agree that the arbitrator may serve; the parties shall be required to indicate their consent in writing to the designated arbitrator within 10 days of the date of the commission's letter of designation; if the parties request an arbitrator who is not an employee of the commission, the commission shall not approve the request unless the parties agree in writing to bear the costs as their own pursuant to Sections 8-8-4 and 62-13-3 NMSA 1978;

(6) any employee of the commission designated to arbitrate the matter under these provisions shall not participate in a subsequent proceeding on the complaint as a hearing examiner, advisory staff, staff counsel, or expert witness or as an attorney, expert witness, or representative of any party to the proceeding;

(7) the commission may assign docket numbers to arbitration proceedings for purposes of record management but the proceeding remains an informal proceeding;

(8) nothing shall preclude the commission from using different arbitration procedures.

(1) once designated and approved by the parties, the arbitrator shall proceed to render a decision in the arbitration proceeding within 60 days of the date the responding party agreed to arbitration except for good cause; if the arbitrator at any time determines that it is unlikely that the dispute can be resolved without substantially affecting the interests of other ratepayers or the public, he may so inform the parties and staff and terminate the proceeding without prejudice to the initiating party's right to file a formal complaint;

(2) the arbitrator shall fix a time and place for an informal hearing and shall serve notice of the hearing on both parties and on staff at least 10 days in advance of the hearing; he may issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and for the production of books, records, documents, and other evidence and shall have the power to administer oaths; the parties and staff may offer such evidence and produce such additional evidence as the arbitrator may deem necessary to an understanding and determination of the dispute; the arbitrator shall decide the relevancy and materiality of the evidence offered, and conformity to the New Mexico rules of evidence or to rules of evidence contained in the commission's rules, is not necessary; no stenographic or electronic record will be made of the testimony at hearing unless requested by a party, who shall bear the cost of the record, or by staff;

(3) discovery will be permitted but only with leave of the arbitrator who shall not allow discovery which unduly complicates, burdens, or impedes the expeditious and informal nature of the proceeding;

(4) whenever the arbitrator deems it necessary to make an inspection or investigation in connection with the arbitration, he shall so advise the parties and staff, who may be present at the inspection or investigation; in the event that one or both of the parties or the staff are not present, the arbitrator shall make an oral or written report to the parties and staff and afford them an opportunity to comment;

(5) at the close of or soon after the hearing, the arbitrator will issue a brief written decision; findings of fact and conclusions of law are not necessary; the arbitrator's decision will be binding on the parties and can be implemented by the commission to the extent such implementation is necessary; however, the decision will not be a decision of the commission and shall have no precedential effect;

(6) unless agreed to by all the parties and staff, no statements, admissions, or offers of settlement made during the course of arbitration proceedings shall be admissible as evidence in any formal proceeding nor shall the arbitrator disclose the same voluntarily or through discovery or compulsory process; nothing in this section, however, shall preclude the arbitrator from issuing a brief written decision describing his conclusions and the bases for them;

(7) nothing in this rule shall be construed to mean that the commission has waived its review of any decision or that the commission consents to be bound by arbitration.