The legislature declares that it remains the policy of the state of New Mexico to maintain for rural customers availability of access to telecommunications services at affordable rates. Furthermore, it is the policy of this state to have comparable long distance service rates, as established by the commission, for comparable markets or market areas. To the extent that it is consistent with maintaining availability of access to service at affordable rates for rural customers, it is further the policy of this state to encourage competition and reduce regulation in the telecommunications industry, thereby allowing access by the public to resulting rapid advances in telecommunications technology. It is the purpose of the Rural Telecommunications Act of New Mexico to permit a regulatory framework that will allow an orderly transition for rural telephone carriers from a regulated telecommunications industry to a competitive market environment consistent with the federal act. Further, the legislature finds that as part of such regulatory framework, it is necessary to provide disparate regulatory treatment between rural telephone carriers and non-rural telephone carriers in order to assist with accomplishing the goals established by the above declared policies. Disparate regulatory treatment is particularly necessary for those citizens who reside in rural New Mexico, because those rural areas constitute the bulk of the surface area within the boundaries of the state. Disparate regulatory treatment for rural telephone carriers requires relaxed regulation for rural telephone carriers with the objective of reducing the cost of regulation as well as the regulatory burden, permitting pricing flexibility and expediting required rate approvals, all in a manner consistent with both the purpose of an orderly transition from regulation to a competitive market environment and the federal act.