1. (a) Payment may be considered late if the LEC or its authorized agent for payment gets the payment after the LEC’s close of business on the due date on the bill.
2. (b) If the LEC is not open on the due date, customers may pay by the close of business on the next day the LEC’s business offices are open without being late.

3. (c) Payment shall be considered late if a check is:

   1. (1) Postdated beyond the due date; or
   2. (2) Returned unpaid for reasons other than bank error.
4. (d) If a bank error causes a late payment, the LEC shall correct its records to show that the customer paid the bill on time.
5. (e) If an LEC issues a late notice or suspension notice to any customer whose payment was received by the LEC or its authorized payment agent by the LEC’s close of business on the due date, the record of the late notice or suspension notice shall be deleted from the customer’s account record.

Codification Notes: This section was promulgated as Rule 5.06 of the Telecommunications Providers Rules prior to codification in the Code of Arkansas Rules.