Sec. 1. The Indiana general assembly hereby declares that:

(1) the maintenance of universal telephone service is a continuing goal of the commission in the exercise of its jurisdiction;

(2) competition has become commonplace in the provision of telecommunications services in Indiana and the United States;

(3) advancements in and the convergence of technologies that provide voice, video, and data transmission, including:

(A) landline, wireless, cable, satellite, and Internet transmissions; and

(B) transmissions involving voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), Internet Protocol enabled services, and voice over power lines;

are substantially increasing consumer choice, reinventing the marketplace with unprecedented speed, and making available highly competitive products and services and new methods of delivering local exchange service;

(4) traditional regulatory policies, practices, and statutes are not designed to deal with a competitive environment and technological advancements;

(5) an environment in which Indiana consumers will have available the widest array of state-of-the-art communications services at the most economic and reasonable cost possible will necessitate full and fair facilities based competition in the delivery of telecommunications services throughout Indiana; and

(6) streamlining of, and flexibility in, the regulation of providers of telecommunications services, regardless of the technology used, is essential to the well-being of Indiana, its economy, and its citizens, and that the public interest requires that the commission be authorized to formulate and adopt rules and policies as will permit the commission, in the exercise of its expertise, to regulate and control the provision of telecommunications services to the public in an increasingly competitive and technologically changing environment, giving due regard to the interests of consumers and the public, the ability of market forces to encourage innovation and investment, and the continued universal availability of basic telecommunications service.

As added by P.L.92-1985, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.23-1988, SEC.32; P.L.27-2006, SEC.13.