Enrolled SB 80: Relating to telecommunications services for certain disabled subscribers; and providing for an effective date.
00Enrolled SB 80 01 Relating to telecommunications services for certain disabled subscribers; and providing for an 02 effective date. 03 _______________ 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, 2018.