SECTION 26.53. Inspections and Tests

(a) This section does not apply to the retail services of an electing company, as defined by Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA) §58.002, or to the retail nonbasic services offered by a transitioning company, as defined by PURA §65.002.

(b) Each dominant certificated telecommunications utility (DCTU) must adopt a program of periodic tests, inspections, and preventive maintenance aimed at achieving efficient operation of its system and rendition of safe, adequate, and continuous service.

(c) Each DCTU must maintain or have access to test facilities enabling it to determine the operating and transmission capabilities of all equipment and facilities. The actual transmission performance of the network must be monitored to determine if the service objectives in this chapter are met. This monitoring function must include circuit order tests prior to placing trunks in service, routine periodic trunk maintenance tests, tests of actual switched trunk connections, periodic noise tests of a sample of customer loops in each exchange, and special transmission surveys of the network.

(d) Each central office serving more than 300 customer access lines must be equipped with a 1,000 +/- 20 hertz, one milliwatt test signal generator and a 900 Ohm balanced termination device wired to telephone numbers so that they may be accessed for dial test purposes. Upon commission request, each DCTU must provide the commission the numbers assigned for these test terminations.

Source Note: The provisions of this §26.53 adopted to be effective May 15, 2000, 25 TexReg 4319; amended to be effective April 7, 2014, 39 TexReg 2499; amended to be effective December 21, 2023, 48 TexReg 7524