S*1496 Session 108 (1989-1990)
S*1496(Rat #0583, Act #0488 of 1990) General Bill, By Senate General
A Bill to amend Chapter 9, Title 58, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976,
relating to the regulation of telephone, telegraph, and express companies by
the Public Service Commission, by adding Article 21 so as to provide for
telephone service for hearing and speech impaired persons
04/05/90 Senate Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar
without reference SJ-9
04/10/90 Senate Read second time SJ-29
04/10/90 Senate Unanimous consent for third reading on next
legislative day SJ-30
04/11/90 Senate Read third time and sent to House SJ-26
04/12/90 House Introduced and read first time HJ-190
04/12/90 House Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-190
05/02/90 House Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Judiciary HJ-9
05/10/90 House Amended HJ-45
05/10/90 House Read second time HJ-48
05/15/90 House Read third time and returned to Senate with
amendments HJ-13
05/16/90 Senate Concurred in House amendment and enrolled SJ-5
05/24/90 Ratified R 583
05/30/90 Signed By Governor
05/30/90 Effective date 05/30/90
05/30/90 Act No. 488
06/12/90 Copies available
(A488, R583, S1496)
AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 9, TITLE 58, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
1976, RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF TELEPHONE, TELEGRAPH, AND EXPRESS
COMPANIES BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, BY ADDING ARTICLE 21 SO AS
TO PROVIDE FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE FOR HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIRED
PERSONS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Findings
SECTION 1. The General Assembly finds:
(1) that telephone service provides a rapid and essential
communications link among the general public and with essential
offices and organizations such as police, fire, and medical
facilities;
(2) that all persons should have basic telephone service
available to them at a just and reasonable rate;
(3) that a significant portion of South Carolina's hearing and
speech impaired population has profound disabilities which render
normal telephone equipment useless without additional specialized
devices; and
(4) that there exists a need for a program in which access to
basic telephone service for hearing and speech impaired persons is
equal in cost to the amount paid by other telephone customers.
Telephone service for hearing and speech impaired
SECTION 2. Chapter 9, Title 58 of the 1976 Code is amended by
adding:
"Article 21
Telephone Service for
Hearing and Speech Impaired Persons
Section 58-9-2510. As used in this article:
(1) Commission' means the Public Service Commission.
(2) Deaf person' means an individual who is unable to hear and
understand oral communication, with or without the assistance of
amplification devices.
(3) Dual party relay system' or DPR' means a procedure in
which a deaf, hearing, or speech impaired TDD user can communicate
with an intermediary party, who then orally relays the first party's
message or request to a third party, or a procedure in which a party
who is not deaf or hearing or speech impaired can communicate with an
intermediary party who then relays the message or request to a TDD
user.
(4) Hard of hearing person' means an individual who has
suffered a permanent hearing loss which is severe enough to
necessitate the use of amplification devices to hear oral
communication.
(5) Hearing impaired person' means a person who is deaf or hard
of hearing.
(6) Operating fund' means the Dual Party Relay Service
Operating Fund which is a specific fund to be created by the
commission and established, invested, managed, and maintained for the
exclusive purpose of implementing the provisions of this chapter
according to commission regulations.
(7) Speech impaired person' means an individual who has
suffered a loss of oral communication ability which prohibits normal
use of a standard telephone handset.
(8) Telecommunications device' or 'telecommunications device
for the deaf, hearing, or speech impaired' or TDD' means a keyboard
mechanism attached to or in place of a standard telephone by some
coupling device used to transmit or receive signals through telephone
lines.
Section 58-9-2520. (A) The commission may establish,
regulate, and promote a statewide program to provide telephone access
to persons who are speech or hearing impaired.
(B) The program may include but is not limited to:
(1) a statewide dual party relay service;
(2) selection of a service provider to provide a statewide
relay system to handle all intrastate TDD calls; and
(3) prescribing or promulgating procedures, regulations,
rules, guidelines, and criteria to establish, implement, administer,
regulate, and promote all aspects of the dual party relay service, and
the establishment of a funding mechanism to cover all associated costs
of this service and this article where not prohibited by law.
(C) The commission may use assistance from state and federal
agencies or from private organizations and industry to accomplish the
purposes of this article.
Section 58-9-2530. (A) The commission may require all local
exchange telephone companies operating in this State to impose a
monthly charge not to exceed twenty-five cents on all residential and
business local exchange access facilities as necessary to fund the
establishment and operation of a dual party relay system in this
State. The amount of the charge must be determined by the commission
based upon the amount of funding necessary to accomplish the purposes
of this article and provide dual party telephone relay services on a
continuous basis. If assessed, the local exchange companies shall
collect the charge from their customers and transfer the monies
collected to the operating fund. The charge collected and remitted by
the local exchange companies is not subject to any tax, fee, or
assessment, nor may it be considered revenue of the local exchange
companies. The commission may provide for the funding of the dual
party relay system through contributions from other sources. The fund
must be established, invested, and managed for the exclusive purpose
of implementing the provisions of this article according to
regulations promulgated by the commission.
(B) Monies in the operating fund must also include
appropriations made by the General Assembly for the purpose of this
chapter, grants from other governmental or private entities, and
contributions or donations received by the commission for the dual
party relay service. All monies in the operating fund must be used
solely for the administration and operation of a statewide program to
provide telecommunications access to persons who are speech and
hearing impaired or similarly impaired.
(C) The users of the relay service must be charged for telephone
services, including any authorized commission charge, without
additional charges for the use of the relay service. The calling or
called party shall bear an expense for making intrastate nonlocal
calls considered approved by the commission as being equitable in
comparison with non-TDD or DPR service customers.
Section 58-9-2540. (A) The commission may appoint an advisory
committee to monitor the statewide telecommunications relay access
service and advise and make recommendations to the commission in
pursuing services which meet the needs of the hearing or speech
impaired and others similarly impaired in communicating with other
users of telecommunications services.
(B) The advisory committee consists of eight members as follows:
(1) one representative from the Spartanburg School
for the Deaf;
(2) one representative from the South Carolina
Association of the Deaf, Inc.;
(3) one representative from the South Carolina
Telephone Association;
(4) two representatives from the commission staff;
(5) one representative from the provider of the dual
party relay service;
(6) one representative from the office of the
Consumer Advocate; and
(7) one representative from the office of the
Division of Information Resource Management, State Budget and Control
Board.
The advisory committee must be appointed by the commission upon
the recommendations of the applicable agency or organization. The
commission shall prescribe regulations which set forth guidelines for
the responsibilities, duties, and authority of the committee. Members
shall serve at the pleasure of the commission and vacancies must be
filled in the manner of the original appointment."
Time effective
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Approved the 30th day of May, 1990.
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