00                       CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 80(L&C)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to telecommunications services for certain disabled subscribers; and                                   
02 providing for an effective date."                                                                                       
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 42.05.296 is amended to read:                                                                      
05 Sec. 42.05.296.  Telecommunications [TELEPHONE] services for certain                                                
06 disabled [IMPAIRED] subscribers.  (a) The commission shall adopt regulations to                                     
07 require telecommunications [TELEPHONE] utilities to provide service to                                              
08 subscribers who are deaf, hard of hearing, and speech disabled [IMPAIRED                                        
09 SUBSCRIBERS] that permits the subscriber to communicate by one or more                                              
10 telecommunications devices [TELEPHONE] with persons of normal hearing and that                                      
11 makes available reasonable access of all phases of public telecommunications                                        
12 [TELEPHONE] service to subscribers of telecommunications services who are                                           
13 deaf, hard of hearing, and speech disabled [IMPAIRED TELEPHONE                                                      
14 SUBSCRIBERS]. The regulations must provide for cost recovery through surcharges                                         
01 added to the [BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE] rate for each telecommunications                                                
02 service. The commission shall hold hearings to determine the most cost-effective                                    
03       method of providing this service.                                                                                 
04 (b)  A telecommunications service [TELEPHONE] subscriber is eligible for                                            
05 the service required by (a) of this section if the subscriber is a person who is certified                          
06 as deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled [IMPAIRED] by a licensed physician, a                                  
07 speech-language pathologist licensed under AS 08.11, an audiologist, or the                                             
08 Department of Health and Social Services or if the subscriber is an organization that                               
09 represents or has a principal purpose to provide services to persons who are                                        
10       [REPRESENTING THE] deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled [IMPAIRED] as                                    
11       determined by the commission.                                                                                     
12    * Sec. 2. This Act takes effect July 1, 2017.