476.1 - APPLICABILITY OF AUTHORITY.

        476.1  APPLICABILITY OF AUTHORITY.         The utilities board within the utilities division of the      department of commerce shall regulate the rates and services of      public utilities to the extent and in the manner hereinafter      provided.         As used in this chapter, "board" or "utilities board"      means the utilities board within the utilities division of the      department of commerce.         As used in this chapter, "public utility" shall include any      person, partnership, business association, or corporation, domestic      or foreign, owning or operating any facilities for:         1.  Furnishing gas by piped distribution system or electricity to      the public for compensation.         2.  Furnishing communications services to the public for      compensation.         3.  Furnishing water by piped distribution system to the public      for compensation.         Mutual telephone companies in which at least fifty percent of the      users are owners, cooperative telephone corporations or associations,      telephone companies having less than fifteen thousand customers and      less than fifteen thousand access lines, municipally owned utilities,      and unincorporated villages which own their own distribution systems      are not subject to the rate regulation provided for in this chapter.         This chapter does not apply to waterworks having less than two      thousand customers, municipally owned waterworks, joint water      utilities established pursuant to chapter 389, rural water districts      incorporated and organized pursuant to chapters 357A and 504,      cooperative water associations incorporated and organized pursuant to      chapter 499, or to a person furnishing electricity to five or fewer      customers either by secondary line or from an alternate energy      production facility or small hydro facility, from electricity that is      produced primarily for the person's own use.         A telephone company otherwise exempt from rate regulation and      having telephone exchange facilities which cross state lines may      elect, in a writing filed with the board, to have its rates regulated      by the board.  When a written election has been filed with the board,      the board shall assume rate regulation jurisdiction over the company.         The jurisdiction of the board under this chapter shall include      efforts designed to promote the use of energy efficiency strategies      by rate or service-regulated gas and electric utilities.  
         Section History: Early Form
         [C66, 71, 73, 75, § 490A.1; C77, 79, 81, § 476.1; 81 Acts, ch 156,      § 4] 
         Section History: Recent Form
         83 Acts, ch 127, § 15, 16; 84 Acts, ch 1031, § 1; 88 Acts, ch      1172, §2; 90 Acts, ch 1252, §18; 91 Acts, ch 150, §1; 91 Acts, ch      168, §9; 96 Acts, ch 1196, § 1; 2004 Acts, ch 1049, §191; 2004 Acts,      ch 1175, § 393         Referred to in § 306.46, 352.6, 455H.304, 476.6, 476.22, 476.27,      476.91, 477C.7, 499.30, 499.33, 714H.4, 716.6B