Wyoming Statutes

Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103 (2026)

Definitions.

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a)   As used in this chapter:

          (i) "Affiliated telecommunications companies" means
telecommunications companies:

               (A) In which five percent (5%) or more of the
voting stock is controlled or owned, directly or indirectly, by
a common principal; or

               (B) Whose management and policies are found by
the commission, after notice and opportunity for hearing, to be
controlled by a common principal.

          (ii)   "Commission" means the public service commission
of Wyoming;

          (iii) "Competitive telecommunications services" means
those services found by the legislature or the commission to be
competitive in accordance with W.S. 37-15-202;

          (iv) "Essential telecommunications service" means a
customer's access to service that is necessary for the
origination or termination, or both, of two-way, switched
telecommunications for both residential and business service
within a local exchange area. Essential telecommunications
services are limited to:

                 (A)   Repealed by Laws 2025, ch. 135, § 2.
                (B)   Repealed by Laws 2025, ch. 135, § 2.

                (C)   Repealed by Laws 2025, ch. 135, § 2.

                (D)   Repealed by Laws 2025, ch. 135, § 2.

               (E) Switched access, which for the purposes of
this chapter shall mean the switching and transport necessary to
connect an interexchange telecommunications company with the
local exchange central office for the purpose of originating or
terminating, or both, the interexchange telecommunications
company's switched telecommunications service; and

                (F)   Local exchange service.

          (v) "Interexchange telecommunications company" means
a person providing telecommunications service to connect end
users located in different local exchange areas, but excluding
companies which also provide noncompetitive local exchange
services;

         (vi)   Repealed By Laws 2007, Ch. 142, § 2.

          (vii) "Local exchange area" means a geographic
territorial unit established by the commission for providing
telecommunications services;

          (viii) "Local exchange service" means residential or
business service within a local exchange area capable of
providing:

               (A) Access to interexchange services provided by
interexchange telecommunications companies;

               (B) Single line flat-rate or single line
measured residential or business voice service;

               (C) Transmission service and facilities
necessary for the connection between the end user's or
customer's premises and local network switching facility
including the necessary signaling service used by customers to
access essential telecommunications services;

               (D) Services necessary to connect 911 emergency
services to the local network.
          (ix) "Noncompetitive essential telecommunications
services" means those essential telecommunications services at
locations which have not been found by the legislature or the
commission to be competitive in accordance with W.S. 37-15-202;

          (x) "Price" means any rate or charge set and
published in accordance with this chapter and collected by the
telecommunications company for any telecommunications service
offered by it to the public or other telecommunications
companies;

          (xi) "Telecommunications company" means a person
engaged in the furnishing of telecommunications service within
this state;

          (xii) "Telecommunications service" means the offering
or transmitting for hire of telecommunications by means of
telecommunications facilities using wire, radio, lightwave or
other means;

         (xiii)    Repealed by Laws 2015, ch. 96, § 2.

          (xiv) "Universal service" means the general
availability of local exchange service at an affordable and
reasonable price;

         (xv)    Repealed by Laws 2015, ch. 96, § 2.

         (xvi)    Repealed by Laws 2025, ch. 135, § 2.

          (xvii) "Landline carrier" means a telecommunications
company providing local exchange service, or its functional
equivalent, to retail end users by means primarily of its own
fiber, copper, electric lines or coaxial cable facilities;

          (xviii) "Broadband internet access service" means a
mass-market retail service by wire or radio that provides the
capability to transmit data to and receive data from all or
substantially all internet endpoints, including any capabilities
that are incidental to and enable the operation of the
communications service. "Broadband internet access service"
shall not include dial-up internet access service;

          (xix) "Noncompetitive local exchange service" means
local exchange service at locations which have not been found by
the legislature or the commission to be competitive in
accordance with W.S. 37-15-202.
    (b)   Repealed By Laws 2007, Ch. 142, § 2.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 7 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1999–2022 · leading case: U S West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 988 P.2d 1061 (Wyo. 1999).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

U S West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 988 P.2d 1061 (Wyo. 1999). · cites it 28× “The Public Service Commission found that Centrex Plus is a noncompetitive and essential telecommunications service as set forth in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(iv) (Lexis 1999) and, therefore, refused to allow U S West to withdraw the service.”

US West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 989 P.2d 616 (Wyo. 1999). · cites it 18× “It determined that ISDN is an essential telecommunications service, as defined in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(iv) (LEXIS 1999), and that ISDN is, accordingly, a local exchange service and specifically exempt from being a competitive telecommunications service under Wyo.”

Qwest Corp. v. Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 2007 WY 97 (Wyo. 2007). · cites it 2× “Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(xiii). In other words, it provides an estimate of what it would cost a potential competitor to establish a new, competing network.”

Union Tel. Co. v. The Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n & It's Wyoming Universal Support Fund Manager & All West Commc'n, Inc. Dubois Tel. Exch., Inc. Range Tel. Coop., Inc. Rt Commc'ns, Inc. Silver Star Tel. Tri Cnty. Tel., Inc., 2022 WY 55 (Wyo. 2022). · cites it 9× “]” Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(xi). 2 The parties to this appeal include Union; the PSC; and Appellee Intervenors All West Communication, Inc.”

Qwest Corp. v. State Ex Rel. Wyoming Dep't of Revenue, 2006 WY 35 (Wyo. 2006). “§ 37-15-103(a)(vi) (LexisNexis 2001) defines a LATA to be "geographic regions created as part of the divestiture of [AT & T] which defined the areas where regional Bell operating companies were permitted to provide telecommunication services^]” 5 .”

U S West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 992 P.2d 1092 (Wyo. 1999). · cites it 2× “]” Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(xiii) (Lexis 1999).”

U S West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 15 P.3d 722 (Wyo. 2000). · cites it 4× “] Wyo.Stat.Ann. § 37-15-103(a)iv) (LEXIS 1999).”

— Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103(a) — 1 case

U S West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 15 P.3d 722 (Wyo. 2000). “] Wyo.Stat.Ann. § 37-15-103(a)iv) (LEXIS 1999).”

— Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103(a)(iii) — 1 case

US West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 989 P.2d 616 (Wyo. 1999). “It determined that ISDN is an essential telecommunications service, as defined in Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(iv) (LEXIS 1999), and that ISDN is, accordingly, a local exchange service and specifically exempt from being a competitive telecommunications service under Wyo.”

— Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103(a)(iv) — 2 cases

U S West Commc'ns, Inc. v. Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 15 P.3d 722 (Wyo. 2000). “] Wyo.Stat.Ann. § 37-15-103(a)iv) (LEXIS 1999).”

— Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103(a)(iv)(B) — 1 case

Union Tel. Co. v. The Wyoming Pub. Serv. Comm'n & It's Wyoming Universal Support Fund Manager & All West Commc'n, Inc. Dubois Tel. Exch., Inc. Range Tel. Coop., Inc. Rt Commc'ns, Inc. Silver Star Tel. Tri Cnty. Tel., Inc., 2022 WY 55 (Wyo. 2022). “]” Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 37-15-103 (a)(xi). 2 The parties to this appeal include Union; the PSC; and Appellee Intervenors All West Communication, Inc.”

— Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103(a)(vi) — 1 case

— Wyo. Stat. § 37-15-103(a)(viii) — 1 case

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