2012 -- H 7540

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LC01112

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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A N A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - ACCESS TO TELEPHONE

INFORMATION SERVICES FOR DISABLED PERSONS

     Introduced By: Representatives Naughton, E Coderre, Handy, and Keable

     Date Introduced: February 15, 2012

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 39-1-42 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-1 entitled "Public

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Utilities Commission" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     39-1-42. Access to telephone information services for persons with disabilities. -- (a)

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The public utilities commission shall establish, administer and promote an information

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accessibility service that includes:

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      (1) A statewide telephone relay service and, through the competitive bidding process,

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contract for the administration and operation of such a relay system for utilization of the

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telecommunications network by deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired persons;

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      (2) The adaptive telephone equipment loan program capable of servicing the needs of

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persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, severely speech impaired, or those with neuromuscular

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impairments for use with a single party telephone line, or a wireless telephone, to any subscriber

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who is certified as deaf, hard of hearing, severely speech impaired, or with neuromuscular

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impairments by a licensed physician, audiologist, speech pathologist, or a qualified state agency,

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pursuant to chapter 23 of this title; and

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      (3) A telephone access to the text of newspaper programs to residents who are blind,

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deaf or blind, visually impaired, or reading impaired with a single party telephone line.

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      (b) The commission shall establish, by rule or regulation, an appropriate funding

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mechanism to recover the costs of providing this service from each residence and business

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telephone access line or trunk in the state, including PBX trunks and centrex equivalent trunks

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and each service line or trunk, and upon each user interface number or extension number or

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similarly identifiable line, trunk, or path to or from a digital network. Notwithstanding the

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foregoing, there shall not be any additional funding mechanism used to charge each residence and

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business telephone access line or truck in the state, including PBX trunks and centrex equivalent

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trunks and each service line or trunk, or upon each user interface number or extension number or

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similarly identifiable line, trunk or path to or from a digital network, to recover the costs of

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providing the services outlined in subsections (a)(1), (2) or (3) above.

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      (c) The commission, with the assistance of the state commission on the deaf and hard of

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hearing, shall also develop the appropriate rules, regulations and service standards necessary to

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implement the provisions of subsection (a)(1) of this section. At a minimum, however, the

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commission shall require, under the terms of the contract, that the relay service provider:

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      (1) Offer its relay services seven (7) days a week, twenty-four (24) hours a day,

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including holidays;

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      (2) Hire only qualified salaried operators with deaf language skills; and

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      (3) Maintain the confidentiality of all communications.

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      (d) [Deleted by P.L. 2004, ch. 504, section 3.]

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      (e) The commission shall collect from the telecommunications service providers the

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amounts of the surcharge collected from their subscribers and remit to the department of human

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services an additional ten thousand dollars ($10,000) annually commencing in fiscal year 2005

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for the adaptive telephone equipment loan program and forty thousand dollars ($40,000) to the

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department of human services for the establishment of a new telephone access to the text of

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newspaper programs. The surcharge referenced hereunder shall be generated from existing

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funding mechanisms and shall not be generated as a result of any new funding mechanisms

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charged to each residence and business telephone access line or trunk in the state, including PBX

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trunks and centrex equivalent trunks and each service line or trunk, or upon each user interface

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number or extension number or similarly identifiable line, trunk or path to or from a digital

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network.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC01112

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - ACCESS TO TELEPHONE

INFORMATION SERVICES FOR DISABLED PERSONS

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     This act would extend the adaptive telephone equipment loan program for persons with

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certain disabilities, to include wireless telephones.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC01112

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