§ 99. Franchises and privileges. 1. No telegraph corporation or telephone corporation hereafter formed shall begin construction of its telegraph line or telephone line without first having obtained the permission and approval of the commission and its certificate of public convenience and necessity and the required consent of the proper municipal authorities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any such certificate shall be deemed to be granted by the commission ninety days after such corporation applies to the commission for a certificate, unless the commission, or its designee, determines within such ninety day period that the public interest requires the commission's review and its written order.
2. No franchise nor any right to or under any franchise to own or operate a telegraph line or telephone line shall be assigned, transferred or leased, nor shall any contract or agreement hereafter made with reference to or affecting any such franchise or right be valid or of any force or effect whatsoever, unless the assignment, transfer, lease, contract or agreement shall have been approved by the commission. No telephone corporation shall transfer or lease its works or system or any part of such works or system to any other person or corporation or contract for the operation of its works or system, without the written consent of the commission. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any such transfer or lease between affiliated corporations with an original cost of (a) less than one hundred thousand dollars proposed by a telephone corporation having annual gross revenues in excess of two hundred million dollars, (b) less than twenty-five thousand dollars proposed by a telephone corporation having annual gross revenues of less than two hundred million but more than ten million dollars or (c) less than ten thousand dollars proposed by a telephone corporation having annual gross revenues of less than ten million dollars and any other transfer or lease between non-affiliates regardless of cost shall be effective without the commission's written consent within ninety days after such corporation notifies the commission that it plans to complete such transfer or lease and submits a description of the transfer or lease, unless the commission, or its designee, determines within such ninety days that the public interest requires the commission's review and written consent.
3. The approval of the commission to the exercise of a franchise or to the assignment, transfer or lease of a franchise shall not be construed to revive or validate any lapsed or invalid franchise or to enlarge or add to the powers and privileges contained in the grant of any franchise or to waive any forfeiture.
