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Become a Certificated Telecom Service Provider

Certificate of Authority

Oregon law requires that any carrier providing intrastate telecommunications service in Oregon must have a certificate of authority from the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC). There are two types of carriers for certification purposes: competitive providers and telecommunications utilities.
 
  • Competitive providers are service providers classified under ORS 759.020, and offer local exchange service and/or interexchange service on a for-hire basis statewide or in specific areas.
  • Telecommunications utilities, including cooperatives, are service providers that must provide local exchange services in exclusively allocated territory.
 

​To obtain a certificate of authority, a provider must file a completed Application for Certificate of Authority to Provide Telecommunications in Oregon according to Filing Center instructions. Assuming no concerns following PUC review, the PUC issues an order granting authority to the provider. ​

​There is no fee to obtain a certificate of authority, but once granted the certificated telecommunications provider must pay an annual fee and comply with the conditions of its certificate of authority, including various filing requirements (e.g., annual fee statements, annual reports, Oregon Universal Service Fund and Residential Service Protection Fund filings), as well as notifying the PUC of any changes in ownership, address, or regulatory contacts.

​A telecommunications provider may request cancellation of its certificate by filing a letter according to Filing Center instructions. The letter should explain any relevant details (e.g., reason for cancellation, such as no longer providing telecommunications services in Oregon, no Oregon customers, etc.). The PUC then issues a cancellation order with an effective date, usually within one to two weeks. If the provider still has customers in Oregon, they must give 90-days notice of the cancellation to customers and the PUC before their certificate may be canceled. The provider must comply with all filing obligations up to the effective date of the cancellation order.


Also, the PUC may cancel a provider’s certificate of authority for failure to comply with the conditions of its certificate, including not complying with the filing requirements.

​A telecommunications provider may transfer all or part of its authority to a new or existing provider. If the receiving provider does not already have a certificate, they must file a completed Application for Transfer of Certificate of Authority to Provide Telecommunications Service in Oregon according to Filing Center instructions. Existing providers may e-file a notification letter to the PUC instead of the transfer application. Providers must give customers and the PUC 90-day notice of the transfer.

 

 

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Certificate of Authority Questions?

Nicola Peterson
Phone: 503-586-9531

 

Useful Links

Certificate of Authority Statutes & Rules