(A) As used in this section, "most recent," with respect to any rate proceeding, means the rate proceeding most immediately preceding the date of any final order issued by the public utilities commission under this section.

(B)

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or any agreement establishing price caps, rate freezes, or rate increase moratoria, a public utility subject to the rate-making jurisdiction of the commission may file an application with the commission for, and the commission shall then authorize by order, timely and full recovery of a public way fee levied upon and payable by the public utility both after January 1, 2002, and after the test year of the public utility's most recent rate proceeding or the initial effective date of rates in effect but not established through a proceeding for an increase in rates.

(2) Any order issued by the commission pursuant to its consideration of an application under division (B)(1) of this section shall establish a cost recovery mechanism including, but not limited to, an adder, tracker, rider, or percentage surcharge, for recovering the amount to be recovered; specify that amount; limit the amount to not more and not less than the amount of the total public way fee incurred; and require periodic adjustment of the mechanism based on revenues recovered.

(a) In the case of a cost recovery mechanism for a public way fee levied on and payable by a public utility but determined unreasonable, unjust, unjustly discriminatory, or unlawful by the commission pursuant to division (C) of section 4939.06 of the Revised Code, the mechanism shall provide for recovery, only from those customers of the public utility that receive its service within the municipal corporation, of the difference between that public way fee and the just and reasonable public way fee determined by the commission under division (C) of section 4939.06 of the Revised Code.

(b) In all other cases, recovery shall be from all customers of the public utility generally.

(C) In the case of recovery under division (B)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, the recovery mechanism payable by sale-for-resale or wholesale telecommunications customers shall provide for recovery limited to any public way fee not included in established rates and prices for those customers and to the pro rata share of the public way fee applicable to the portion of the facilities that are sold, leased, or rented to the customers and are located in the public way. The recovery shall be in a nondiscriminatory and competitively neutral manner and prorated on a per-line or per-line equivalent basis among all retail, sale-for-resale, and wholesale telecommunications customers subject to the recovery.

(D)

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or any agreement establishing price caps, rate freezes, or rate increase moratoria, a public utility subject to the rate-making jurisdiction of the commission may file an application with the commission for, and the commission by order shall authorize, such accounting authority as may be reasonably necessary to classify any cost described in division (D)(2) of this section as a regulatory asset for the purpose of recovering that cost.

(2) A cost eligible for recovery under this division shall be only such cost as meets both of the following:

(a) The cost is directly incurred by the public utility as a result of local regulation of its occupancy or use of a public way or an appropriate allocation and assignment of costs related to implementation of this section, excluding any cost arising from a public way fee levied upon and payable by the public utility.

(b) The cost is incurred by the public utility both after January 1, 2002, and after the test year of the public utility's most recent rate proceeding or the initial effective date of rates in effect but not established through a proceeding for an increase in rates.

(3) If the commission determines, upon an application under division (D)(1) of this section or its own initiative, that classification of a cost described in division (D)(2) of this section as a regulatory asset is not practical or that deferred recovery of that cost would impose a hardship on the public utility or its customers, the commission shall establish a charge and collection mechanism to permit the public utility full recovery of that cost. A hardship shall be presumed for any public utility with less than fifteen thousand bundled sales service customers in this state and for any public utility for which the annualized aggregate amount of additional cost that otherwise may be eligible for such classification exceeds the greater of five hundred thousand dollars or fifteen per cent of the total costs that are described in division (D)(2)(a) of this section and were considered by the commission for the purpose of establishing rates in the public utility's most recent rate increase proceeding or the rate increase proceeding of the public utility's predecessor, whichever is later.

(E) Any application submitted to the commission under divisions (B) to (D) of this section shall be processed by the commission as an application not for an increase in rates under section 4909.18 of the Revised Code. The application shall include such information as the commission reasonably requires. The commission shall conclude its consideration of the application and issue a final order not later than one hundred twenty days after the date that the application was submitted to the commission. A final order regarding a recovery mechanism authorized pursuant to this section shall provide for such retroactive adjustment as the commission determines appropriate.

(F) A public utility shall not be required to waive any rights under this section as a condition of occupancy or use of a public way.

(G) The commission may issue such rules as it considers necessary to carry out this section.

Effective Date: 07-02-2002 .