Section 172.02. Definitions.

  In this chapter:

(1)  "Basic local voice service" means the provision to residential or business customers of an access facility, whether by wire, cable, fiber optics or radio, and essential usage within a local calling area for the transmission of high-quality 2-way interactive switched voice communication.

(2)  "Commercial mobile radio service" has the meaning given in 47 USC 332 (d).

(3)  "Commission" means the public service commission.

(4)  "Communications provider" means a person that provides communications service.

(5)  "Communications service" means any of the following:

(a) Retail basic local voice service.

(b) Retail wireless voice service.

(c) Retail voice over internet protocol service.

(6)  "Communications service connection" means a link with a communications network that provides a person the ability to access that network for voice communications.

(7)  "Customer" means a person that purchases a communications service connection. "Customer" includes pay telephone providers, but excludes communications providers that resell communications service.

(8)  "Department" means the department of revenue.

(9)  "Fee" means the police and fire protection fee imposed under s. 196.025 (6) , Stats.

(10)  "Official company lines" means communications service connections that are reserved for a communications provider's internal administrative use.

(11)  "Prepaid wireless retail transaction" means the sale of a prepaid wireless communications plan, but not for resale. A prepaid wireless retail transaction includes any of the following:

(a) The sale of a handset with airtime for a specified dollar amount, or for a specified period of time, such as a finite number of minutes of use or days of service.

(b) The sale of additional airtime, including an additional finite dollar amount of service, additional minutes of use or additional days of service, whether the additional airtime was sold at a retail location, over the internet, by mail, or by telephone call.

(12)  "Prepaid wireless communications plan" means a plan for wireless voice service that provides a person the right to utilize wireless voice service, is paid for prior to use, and is sold in predetermined dollar amounts whereby a number of units declines with use of a known amount.

(13)  "Place of primary use" has the meaning given in 4 USC 124 (8), except that if a communications provider or retailer does not have the information under that provision, then it means the place to which the sale is sourced under s. PSC 172.05 (2) (b) .

(14)  "Resale" or "resell" means a communications provider obtaining the use of a communications service connection from a different communications provider and using that connection to provide communications service to an end-user customer.

(15)  "Retailer" means a person that sells a prepaid wireless communications plan on behalf of a communications provider.

(16)  "Subscriber" means a person that enters into a subscription communications plan with a communications provider.

(17)  "Subscription communications plan" means a contract or other service agreement in which a subscriber pays a periodic rate for a communications service, including both recurring and nonrecurring charges, either paid in advance for service to be provided in a subsequent time period or paid in arrears for the service previously provided.

(18)  "Voice over internet protocol service" means a service that is provided to customers with either a billing address or a place of primary use within the state, that does all of the following:

(a) Enables real-time, two-way voice communications.

(b) Employs a broadband connection from the user's location.

(c) Requires internet protocol-compatible customer premises equipment.

(d) Permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network.

(19)  "Wireless voice service" means commercial mobile radio service, including the resale of commercial mobile radio service but excluding mobile satellite service, that meets all of the following:

(a) The sale is sourced to Wisconsin, as determined under s. PSC 172.05 (2) (b) .

(b) Offers real-time, two-way switched voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network.

History: EmR0919 : emerg. cr. eff. 9-11-09; CR 09-086 : cr. Register June 2010 No. 654 , eff. 7-1-10; correction in (9) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7. , Stats., Register June 2010 No. 654 .