Section 19F: Posting rates, terms and conditions of retail services on website; department notification of changes
Section 19F. (a) Notwithstanding section 19, a common carrier furnishing service described in clause (d) of section 12 may post on its website the rates, terms and conditions of any retail service it offers, renders or furnishes within the commonwealth. Section 19 shall not apply to any such retail service so posted and no such common carrier shall be required to file with the department or obtain department approval of any schedule for such service. No such common carrier shall, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, charge, demand, exact, receive or collect a rate in excess of the rate posted to its website under this paragraph. Upon written notice to the department, such common carrier may withdraw any schedule, contract or agreement previously filed with the department under section 19 for any such retail service so posted under this paragraph. This subsection shall not apply to a rural telephone company as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 153 except upon approval of the department. Nothing in this section shall affect the authority of the department (i) to require 30 days' notice to any affected consumer of any increase in rates for retail services so posted; (ii) to require its prior approval of any increase in rates for residential basic exchange service offered by an incumbent local exchange carrier, as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 251(h); (iii) under sections 13, 14 and 20; or (iv) over switched access or wholesale services.
(b) Common carriers shall electronically notify the department on the same business day of posting any change in rates and terms or conditions for a retail service posted under this section and not subject to section 19, unless the department exempts a common carrier from this subsection.