Chap. 95.—An ACT to provide for the supervision and control of telephone
. companies by the State corporation commission. (S. B. 56.)

Approved March 13, 1914.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
from and after the passage of this act the State corporation com-
mission shall have the power and it is charged with the duty of
supervising, regulating and controlling all telephone companies
doing business in this State in all matters relating to the perform-
ance of their public duties and their charges therefor, and of cor-
recting abuses thereunder by such companies, and to that end the
commission shall, from time to time, prescribe and enforce against
such companies, in the manner hereinafter directed, such rates,
charges, rules and regulations, and shall require them to provide
and maintain all such public service facilities and, conveniences as
may be reasonable and just, which rates, charges, rules, regulations,
and requirements the commission may, from time to time, alter or
amend. All rates, charges, rules and regulations adopted or acted
upon by any such company in conflict with those prescribed by the
commission within the scope of its authority shall be unlawful and
void.

2. Upon demand of either party thereto or any person affected
thereby all arrangements and agreements whatever between two ur
more of such telephone companies affecting or regulating the divi-
sion of charges, earnings, or the manner of the transmission of
messages over their respective lines, or the physical connection
between the lines of such companies shall be submitted to said com-
mission for inspection in so far as they may affect the efficiency of
the public service and the ability of the respective companies to best
serve the public, and be subject to its approval.

3. Upon complaint made by any telephone company, or by any
complainer, that any rate, charge or practice established or pro-
vided for by any municipal ordinance. franchise or other contract,
is unreasonable, unjust, insufficient or discriminatory, the State cor-
poration commission shall order a hearing, and if, upon such hear-
ing, it shall find that such complaint is well founded, the said
commission shall prescribe and enforce just and reasonable rates,
charges or regulations, in lieu of those complained of.

4. The commission shall keep itself fully informed of the con-
dition of all the telephone companies of this State as to the manner
in which they are operated with reference to the accommodation of
the public and shall, from time to time, make and enforce such
requirements, rules and regulations, as in its judgment will promote
the efficiency of the service to be rendered, and to that end may
require physical connection to be made between two or more lines
at such place and in such manner as in their judgment the public
service requires; having due regard to the interest of the compa-
nies to be affected thereby, as well as the effect upon their ability
to render the best service to the public; may inspect and regulate
the character of lines, buildings and other equipment used in the
reception and transmission of messages, and may prohibit the paral-
leling of the lines of one company by those of another if in its
judgment the efficiency of the service by either company or the
public convenience will be injuriously affected.

5. The reasonableness, justice and validity of any rate, charge,
rule, regulation or requirement prescribed by the State corporation
commission within the scope of its authority shall not be questioned
in any suit brought by any person in the courts of this State against
any such telephone company, wherein is involved the charges of
such company for the transmission of messages, or the efficiency of
the public service; in all the courts of this State they shall be con-
clusively presumed to be reasonable, just and valid and said com-
mission shall, from time to time, and as often as circumstances may
require, prescribe, change and revise, or cause to be changed and
revised any schedule of rates and charges, rules, regulations or
requirements, which may have been made or established. All such
schedules, rules, regulations and requirements shall be received and
held in all such suits as prima facie the schedules, rules, regulations
and requirements of the State corporation commission without fur-
ther proof than the production of the schedules desired to be used
as evidence, with a certificate of the clerk of the commission that
the same is a true copy of the schedule, rule, regulation or require-
ment prepared or approved by said commission and so offered in
evidence.
6. Every officer, agent or employee of any such company, who
shall wilfully neglect or refuse to make and furnish any report
lawfully required by the State corporation commission for the pur-.
poses of this act or who shall wilfully or unlawfully delay or|
obstruct the said commission in the discharge of the duties imposed
upon it by the Constitution or laws of this State, or the rules, regu-;
lations and requirements of the commission, connected with the
ebjects and purposes of this act, shall be fined not exceeding five
hundred dollars for each offense; and any telephone company which
violates any of the provisions of this chapter or refuses to conform
‘to or obey any lawful rule, order, regulation, or requirement of the
State corporation commission relating to the provisions of this act
may, when not otherwise provided by law, be fined by the State
corporation commission in its discretion, in a sum not exceeding
five hundred dollars for each offense and each day such company
or corporation continues to violate any lawful rule, order or regu
lation prescribed by the State corporation commission, shall be
separate offense, said penalty to be imposed and enforced upon like
proceedings and in like manner as are those prescribed for the vio/
lation of law or the rules and regulations of the commission by'
transportation companies. .