20130408min.doc

IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

MINUTES OF DECISION MEETING

APRIL 8, 2013 – 1:30 P.M.

In attendance were Commissioners Paul Kjellander, Mack Redford and Marsha Smith. Commissioner Kjellander called the meeting to order.

The first order of business was APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING on Monday, April 1, 2013. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the minutes as written.
The second order of business was approval of the CONSENT AGENDA:
2. Grace Seaman's April 1, 2013 Decision Memorandum re: Fatbeam, LLC's 2012 Broadband Tax Credit Application, Case No. FZ4-T-13-01.3. Terri Carlock's April 3, 2013 Decision Memorandum re: Idaho Power Company's Request to Issue and Sell up to $500 Million Shelf Authority for First Mortgage Bonds and Debt Securities, Case No. IPC-E-13-05.
There was no discussion and Commissioner Kjellander made a motion to approve Staff’s recommendations for items 2 and 3 on the Consent Agenda. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.
The next order of business was MATTERS IN PROGRESS:
4. Grace Seaman's April 5, 2013 Decision Memorandum re: 2012 Idaho Telephone Service Assistance Program Annual Report, Case No. GNR-T-13-03.
Ms. Seaman welcomed Alyson Anderson, the ITSAP Administrator, to the meeting and then reviewed the Decision Memo. Commissioner Smith asked about the intent of the legislation that reduced the subscriber credit by $1.00. Ms. Seaman replied that the Department of Health and Welfare’s legislation was in response to the loss of federal matching funds from the Lifeline program.
Commissioner Kjellander asked how cell phones fit into the mix and if they cut into the number of people who are eligible for the ITSAP program. Ms. Seaman replied that 53% of the ITSAP participants are elderly and of those, over 80% have wireline services. She said that younger, more tech savvy people are using wireless service providers that may not provide ITSAP credits.
There was no further discussion and Commissioner Smith made a motion to accept the 2012 annual report, adopt the Administrator’s 2013 budget, and adopt the Administrator’s recommendation to decrease the monthly ITSAP surcharge rate from $0.07 to $0.03 per access line with an effective date of June 1, 2013. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously. The Commissioners then thanked Ms. Anderson for her work.5. Maria Barratt-Riley's April 5, 2013 Decision Memorandum re: Calculating the 2013 Regulatory Fee Assessments for Public Utilities and Railroads, Case Nos. F-2013-1 and F-2013-2.
Ms. Barratt-Riley reviewed her Decision Memo and the attached calculations. There was no discussion and Commissioner Smith made a motion to agree with the Staff’s calculation of the regulatory assessments for utilities and railroads and to agree with the calculation of the regulatory assessment rates for utilities and railroads. She also congratulated Ms. Barratt-Riley for a most successful first assessment calculation. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.
The final order of business was FULLY SUBMITTED MATTERS:
6. Deliberation re: Idaho Power's Application for a Determination Regarding the FESA Between Idaho Power Company and J.R. Simplot Company, Case No. IPC-E-13-02. [Kristine Sasser, Attorney]
Commissioner Kjellander stated that item 6 would be deliberated privately.
There was no further business before the Commission and Commissioner Kjellander adjourned the meeting.

_____________________________________ ______________________________ COMMISSION SECRETARY DATE OF APPROVAL

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