Full Text of HB5596 98th General Assembly
HB5596 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014 HB5596 Introduced , by Rep. Brandon W. Phelps SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 220 ILCS 5/13-703 | from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 13-703 |
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Amends the Telecommunications Article of the Public Utilities Code. Provides that wireless carriers, nomadic interconnected voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service providers, and fixed or non-nomadic interconnected VoIP service providers shall participate in the Illinois Commerce Commission's program to provide telecommunications devices capable of servicing the needs of persons with a hearing or speech disability. Authorizes the Commission to establish a rate recovery mechanism for wireless carriers, nomadic VoIP service providers, and non-nomadic VoIP service providers. Deletes language that provides that an interconnected VoIP service shall not be considered an intrastate telecommunications service. Effective immediately.
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| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
| | A BILL FOR |
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| | | HB5596 | | LRB098 19993 RPS 55218 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning regulation.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing | 5 | | Section 13-703 as follows:
| 6 | | (220 ILCS 5/13-703) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 13-703)
| 7 | | (Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2015)
| 8 | | Sec. 13-703.
(a) The Commission shall design and implement | 9 | | a program
whereby each telecommunications carrier providing | 10 | | local exchange service
shall provide a telecommunications | 11 | | device capable of servicing the needs of
those persons with a | 12 | | hearing or speech disability together with a
single party line, | 13 | | at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate, to
any | 14 | | subscriber who is certified as having a hearing or speech | 15 | | disability by a
licensed physician, speech-language | 16 | | pathologist, audiologist or a qualified
State agency and to any | 17 | | subscriber which is an organization serving the needs
of those | 18 | | persons with a hearing or speech disability as determined and
| 19 | | specified by the Commission pursuant to subsection (d).
| 20 | | (b) The Commission shall design and implement a program, | 21 | | whereby each
telecommunications carrier providing local | 22 | | exchange service shall provide a
telecommunications relay | 23 | | system, using third party intervention to connect
those persons |
| | | HB5596 | - 2 - | LRB098 19993 RPS 55218 b |
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| 1 | | having a hearing or speech disability with persons of normal
| 2 | | hearing by way of intercommunications devices and the telephone | 3 | | system, making
available reasonable access to all phases of | 4 | | public telephone service to
persons who have a hearing or | 5 | | speech disability. In order to design a
telecommunications | 6 | | relay system which will meet the requirements of those
persons | 7 | | with a hearing or speech disability available at a reasonable | 8 | | cost, the
Commission shall initiate an investigation and | 9 | | conduct public hearings to
determine the most cost-effective | 10 | | method of providing telecommunications relay
service to those | 11 | | persons who have a hearing or speech disability when using
| 12 | | telecommunications devices and therein solicit the advice, | 13 | | counsel, and
physical assistance of Statewide nonprofit | 14 | | consumer organizations that serve
persons with hearing or | 15 | | speech disabilities in such hearings and during the
development | 16 | | and implementation of the system. The Commission shall phase
in | 17 | | this program, on a geographical basis, as soon as is | 18 | | practicable, but
no later than June 30, 1990.
| 19 | | (c) The Commission shall establish a rate recovery | 20 | | mechanism,
authorizing charges in an amount to be determined by | 21 | | the Commission
for each line of a subscriber to allow | 22 | | telecommunications carriers
providing local exchange service | 23 | | to recover costs as they are incurred
under this Section.
| 24 | | (d) The Commission shall determine and specify those | 25 | | organizations serving
the needs of those persons having a | 26 | | hearing or speech disability that shall
receive a |
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| 1 | | telecommunications device and in which offices the equipment | 2 | | shall be
installed in the case of an organization having more | 3 | | than one office. For the
purposes of this Section, | 4 | | "organizations serving the needs of those persons
with hearing | 5 | | or speech disabilities" means centers for independent living as
| 6 | | described in Section 12a of the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation | 7 | | Act and
not-for-profit organizations whose primary purpose is | 8 | | serving the needs of
those persons with hearing or speech | 9 | | disabilities. The Commission shall direct
the | 10 | | telecommunications carriers subject to its jurisdiction and | 11 | | this
Section to comply with its determinations and | 12 | | specifications in this regard.
| 13 | | (e) As used in this Section, the phrase "telecommunications | 14 | | carrier
providing local exchange service " includes, without | 15 | | otherwise limiting the
meaning of the term, telecommunications | 16 | | carriers which are purely mutual
concerns, having no rates or | 17 | | charges for services, but paying the operating
expenses by | 18 | | assessment upon the members of such a company and no other
| 19 | | person , wireless carriers, nomadic interconnected VoIP service | 20 | | providers, and fixed or non-nomadic interconnected VoIP | 21 | | service providers .
| 22 | | (f) (Blank). Interconnected VoIP service providers in | 23 | | Illinois shall collect and remit assessments determined in | 24 | | accordance with this Section in a competitively neutral manner | 25 | | in the same manner as a telecommunications carrier providing | 26 | | local exchange service. Interconnected VoIP services shall not |
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| 1 | | be considered an intrastate telecommunications service for the | 2 | | purposes of this Section in a manner inconsistent with federal | 3 | | law or Federal Communications Commission regulation. | 4 | | (g) The provisions of this Section are severable under | 5 | | Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes. | 6 | | (Source: P.A. 96-927, eff. 6-15-10 .)
| 7 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 8 | | becoming law.
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