20130703Comments.pdf

KARLKLEIN -:ra.:
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
IDAHo puBLIC uTILITIES coMMISSIoN :il!i JL:i. -:: iili{]' 35
472 W. WASHINGTON STREET (83702)
PO BOX 83720 t i"i ii i il :.r: i
BOISE, IDAHO 83720-0074
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Idaho Bar No. 5156
Attorney for the Commission Staff
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF SILVER STAR )
TELEPHONE COMPANY,INC.'S PETITION ) CASE NO. SIL-T-13-01
TO AMEND ITS CERTIFICATED SERVICE )
AREA BOUNDARY. ) COVTMENTS OF THE) cotvtMISSIoN srAFF
)
BACKGROUND
On February 11,2013, Silver Star Telephone Company, Inc. ("Silver Star" or
"Company") petitioned the Commission for an Order amending the service area boundary
described in the Company's Certihcate No. 207, Order No. 2312 issued on July 6, 1953 (Case
No. U-1038-4). See Petition for Amendment of Certificated Service Area Boundary ("Petition").
Certificate No. 207 was amended on August 30, 1960 (Order No. 5712), October 4, 1963 (Order
No. 7076), and on September 30, 1996 (Order No. 26579). Silver Star requests another
amendment to the Certificate. During an intemal review and audit, the Company discovered that
the description of the exchange boundaries in Certificate207 conflicts with the actual exchange
areas served by the Company. Id. at2.
On May 15,2013, the Company filed revised service area boundary illustrations and
descriptions.
STAFF COMMENTS JULY 3,2013
STAFF REVIEW
Silver Star is a Title 6l regulated telephone corporation organized under Wyoming law,
with its principal place of business in Freedom, Wyoming. It is authorized to do business in
Idaho. Petition at 1. The Company provides basic local exchange telecommunications services,
mobile telephone services, transport services to interexchange carriers, special access services,
broadband, and other telecommunications services that customers may require. ,Id
The Company says it has served the areas within the corrected boundaries since at least
1963, and that it remains willing to serve, and is best able to serve, the customers within the
corrected boundaries. 1d
The Company says the requested Certificate amendment will not affect any other
certificated telephone carrier's service area boundary and that the corrected boundaries are not
near and will not interfere with any other utility's existing lines, plants, or systems. Id
The Company's Petition and subsequent, May 13,2013 filing attach copies of the
Company's Certificate as amended to date, illustrations depicting the Company's actual service
area, and a legal description for each service areathat the Company proposes to amend.
STAF'F RECOMMENDATION
Staff has reviewed the Application and verified that the boundary of Silver Star
Telephone Company, Inc.'s new service areadoes not overlap onto the service area of any Title
61 or certified telephone carrier. The new service area boundary includes unserved territory and
Staff believes it is in the public interest to allow the Company to continue to serve the current
and future customers in the service area. Staff, therefore, recommends that the Commission
approve the Petition, as amended by the May 15,2013 filing.
Respectfully submitted this 3 C! day of July 2013.
U 4 //'L
Karl Klein
Deputy Attorney General
Technical Staff: Grace Seaman
i:umisc:comments/silt13. lkkgs comments
STAFF COMMENTS JULY 3,2013
CERTIFICATE OF SER\ICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I HAVE THIS 3M DAY OF JULY 2013, SERVED
THE FOREGOING COMMENTS OF THE COMMISSION STAFF, IN CASE
NO. SIL-T.13-01, BY MAILING A COPY THEREOF, POSTAGE PREPAID, TO THE
FOLLOWING:
RON B McCUE
PRESIDENT & COO
SILVER STAR TELEPHONE CO
PO BOX226
FREEDOM WY 83120
MICHELLE MOTZKUS
LEGAL & REG ADMIN
SILVER STAR TELEPHONE CO
PO BOX 226
FREEDOM WY 83120
SECRETARY
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE