Section 815-RICR-00-00-1.18 - ProtestsA. General 1. Any person other than a party who objects to the approval of an application, petition, motion, or other matter which is, or will be, under consideration by the Division may file a protest. No particular form of protest is required, but the letter or writing should contain the name and address of the protestant and a concise statement of the protest. If possible, four (4) legible copies of the protest should be forwarded to the Division with the original. The Clerk shall serve copies of all protests filed upon all parties.B. Effect of Protest 1. A protest is intended solely to alert the Division and the parties to a proceeding of the fact and nature of the protestant's objections to an application, petition, or any other proposed action and does not become evidence in the proceeding. The filing of a protest does not make the protestant a party to the proceedings.C. Motor Carrier Protests 1. In all matters before the Motor Carrier Section of the Division, the following special protest rules shall apply: a. A protest filed with the Administrator, against the granting of an application, shall set forth specifically the ground or grounds upon which it is made and shall contain a concise statement of the interest the protesting party has in the proceeding. A protest shall be filed in writing within seven (7) calendar days after notice of the filing has been given to the public by legal notice in The Providence Journal-Bulletin. A copy of any protest filed with the Administrator under this rule shall be served simultaneously upon the applicant.b. Protestants who have satisfied the requirements of § 1.18(C)(1) of this Part shall be treated as intervenors and accorded all appropriate rights. c. Protestants who are represented by legal counsel shall file with the Administrator, at least three days prior to the scheduled hearings, direct testimony in the form prescribed by § 1.23(D) of this Part, to be proffered by the protestants at the hearing. A copy of the prefiled testimony shall be served upon the applicant simultaneously by certified mail. The requirements of this paragraph may be waived at the discretion of the Hearing Officer.d. Protestants filing direct testimony shall make the witness whose testimony has been prefiled available at the hearing for cross-examination. A protestant may elicit rebuttal testimony from the witness through oral examination.e. Members of the general public wishing to be heard at Motor Carrier proceedings shall be allowed to voice their opinions on the record. These witnesses shall be limited to five minutes of testimony, or more at the discretion of the Hearing Officer.815 R.I. Code R. 815-RICR-00-00-1.18