Pursuant to AS 29.35.131 through 29.35.137, local exchange telephone companies providing service within the municipality and wireless telephone companies providing wireless telephone service within the municipality shall cooperate in the establishment of an enhanced 911 emergency reporting system.
(S.G.C. 1.24.010; Ord. 99-1541 § 4, 1999; Ord. 03-1723 § 4, 2003)
“911 service area” or “enhanced 911 service area”
means the area within the municipality served by roads, wire-carried telephone service, or wireless telephone service.
“Enhanced 911 equipment”
means any equipment dedicated to the operation of, or use in, the establishment, operation or maintenance of an enhanced 911 system, including customer premises equipment, automatic number identification or automatic location identification controllers and display units, printers, cathode ray tubes, recorders, software and other essential communication equipment.
“Enhanced 911 system” or “system”
means a telephone system consisting of network, database and enhanced 911 equipment that uses the single three-digit number, 911, for reporting medical, fire, police or other emergency situations, and which enables users of a public telephone system to reach a public safety answering point with the capability of providing the receivers of such communications automatically the location and telephone number from which the call originates and includes the personnel required to acquire, install, operate and maintain the system.
“Local exchange line”
means a telephone line which connects a local exchange service customer to the local exchange telephone company switching office and has the capability of reaching local public safety agencies.
“Local exchange service”
means the transmission of two-way interactive switched-voice communications furnished by a local exchange telephone company within the city and borough of Sitka, including access to enhanced 911 systems.
“Local exchange telephone company”
means a telephone utility certified by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to provide local exchange service in the city and borough of Sitka.
“Municipality”
means the city and borough of Sitka.
“Public safety answering point”
means a 24-hour local communications facility that receives 911 service calls and directly dispatches emergency response services or that relays calls to the appropriate public or private safety agency.
“Wireless telephone”
means a telephone that is not a wireline telephone and includes cellular and mobile telephones; each wireless telephone number is considered to be a separate wireless telephone.
“Wireless telephone company”
means a telephone utility that provides telephone service for wireless telephone customers who receive monthly or periodic bills sent to an address within a designated enhanced 911 service area.
“Wireline telephone”
means a telephone that uses a local exchange access line.
(S.G.C. 1.24.020; Ord. 99-1541 § 4, 1999; Ord. 03-1723 § 4, 2003; amended during 3/2015 supplement)
The municipality may purchase, lease or contract for any enhanced 911 equipment or services required to establish and maintain an enhanced 911 system at public safety answering points from a local exchange telephone company or other qualified vendor of an enhanced 911 system.
(S.G.C. 1.24.030; Ord. 99-1541 § 4, 1999; Ord. 03-1723 § 4, 2003)
A. 
A surcharge in the amount of $1.48 per month is imposed on all local exchange access lines in the municipality to fund the enhanced 911 system. A surcharge in the amount of $1.48 per month is imposed on each wireless telephone number that is billed to an address within the municipality. These surcharges shall be reviewed annually by the assembly to determine whether the level of surcharge is adequate, excessive or insufficient to fund the anticipated enhanced 911 system needs.
B. 
A local exchange customer may not be subject to more than one 911 surcharge per local exchange access line. A wireless telephone customer may not be subject to more than one enhanced 911 surcharge for each wireless telephone number.
C. 
The local exchange telephone company shall include the 911 surcharge, stated separately, and included in the total amount owed, in the bills delivered to its customers. A local exchange service customer is liable for payment of the 911 surcharge until the amounts have been paid to the telephone company. A wireless telephone company that provides telephone service to wireless telephone customers with billing addresses within the enhanced 911 service area shall impose an enhanced 911 surcharge each month and collect the surcharge from customers in the enhanced 911 service area.
D. 
The local exchange telephone company or wireless telephone company shall remit the surcharge amounts collected to the municipality no later than 60 days after the end of the month in which the amount was collected. From each remittance made in a timely manner, under this subsection, the local exchange telephone company or wireless telephone company is entitled to deduct and retain the greater of one percent of the amount collected or $150.00 as the cost of administration for collecting the 911 surcharge. In addition, a wireless telephone company is entitled to full recovery of the recurring and nonrecurring costs associated with implementation and operation of Phase I E911 service as allowed under Federal Communications Commission proceedings entitled “Revision of the Commission’s Rules to Ensure Compatibility with Enhanced 9-1-1 Emergency Calling Systems” (CC Docket No. 94-102; RM-8143).
E. 
A local exchange telephone company or wireless telephone company is not obligated to take legal action to enforce collection of the 911 surcharge. However, if a telephone company is attempting to collect an unpaid debt from a customer, the telephone company shall also attempt to collect any unpaid 911 surcharge the customer owes. If a customer pays a portion of a bill which includes a 911 surcharge, the amount paid shall be prorated between the telephone company and the 911 surcharge. The company shall annually provide the municipality with a list of the amounts due for the nonpayment of 911 emergency surcharges, together with the names and addresses of those customers who carry a balance for the nonpayment of the 911 emergency surcharges. The telephone company is not liable for uncollected amounts.
F. 
The municipality may, at its own expense, conduct an annual audit of a local exchange telephone company’s or wireless telephone company’s books and records concerning collection and remittance of the 911 surcharge.
G. 
Amounts received by the municipality for the 911 surcharge shall be deposited into a separate fund which shall be used only for the enhanced 911 system.
(S.G.C. 1.24.040; Ord. 99-1541 § 4, 1999; Ord. 03-1723 § 4, 2003; Ord. 06-03 § 4, 2006)