Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 860 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
Division 34 - SMALL TELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITIES AND COOPERATIVES
Section 860-034-0397 - Use of Deferred Accounting by Small Telecommunications Utilities
Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 12, December 1, 2024
(1) Definitions: As used in this rule:
(2) Expiration: Any authorization to use a deferred account shall expire 12 months from the date the deferral is authorized to begin. If a deferral under ORS 759.200 is reauthorized, the reauthorization shall expire 12 months from the date the reauthorization becomes effective.
(3) Contents of Application: Application for deferred accounting, by a small telecommunications utility or a customer, shall include:
(4) Reauthorization: Application for reauthorization to use a deferred account shall be made not more than 60 days before the expiration of the previous authorization for the deferral. Application for reauthorization shall include the requirements in subsections (3)(a) through (3)(e) of this rule and the following information:
(5) Exceptions: Authorization under ORS 759.200 to use a deferred account is necessary only to add amounts to an account, not to retain an existing account balance and not to amortize amounts which have been entered in an account under an authorization by the Commission. Interest, once authorized to accrue on unamortized balances in an account, may be added to the account without further authorization by the Commission, even though authorization to add other amounts to an account has expired.
(6) Notice of Application: The applicant shall serve a notice of application upon all persons who were parties in the small telecommunications utility's last general rate case. If the applicant is other than a small telecommunications utility, the applicant shall serve a copy of the application upon the affected utility. A notice of application shall include:
(7) Public Meetings: Unless otherwise ordered by the Commission, applications for use of deferred accounting will be considered at the Commission's Public Meetings.
(8) Reply Comments: Within ten days after the due date for comments on the application from interested persons, the applicant, and the small telecommunications utility if the utility is not the applicant, reply comments may be filed with the Commission and served on persons who filed the initial comments on the application.
(9) Amortization: Amortization in rates of a deferred amount shall only be allowed in a rate proceeding, whether initiated by the small telecommunications utility or another party. The Commission may authorize amortization of such amounts only for utility expenses or revenues for which the Commission previously has authorized deferred accounting. Upon request for amortization of a deferred account, the small telecommunications utility shall provide the Commission with its financial results for a 12-month period or for multiple 12-month periods to allow the Commission to perform an earnings review. The period selected for the earnings review will encompass all or part of the period when the deferral took place or must be reasonably representative of the deferral period. Unless authorized by the Commission to do otherwise:
Stat. Auth.: ORS 183, 756 & 759
Stats. Implemented: ORS 756.040 & 759.045