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Tompkins County, NY
 
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Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (4) Index
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Representatives (now County Legislature) of Tompkins County as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 12-21-1993 by L.L. No. 7-1993]
The Tompkins County Legislature, in order to provide for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of persons in the county, finds it in the public interest for there to be an Enhanced 911 Emergency Telephone System operating in Tompkins County.
[Amended 11-4-2009 by L.L. No. 1-2009]
Pursuant to the authority granted to the Tompkins County Legislature by County Law, § 303, there is hereby imposed a surcharge of $1 per month on each local telephone exchange access line in the county, subject to the restrictions contained herein.
The surcharge herein shall not apply to more than 75 local exchange lines per customer per location.
The surcharge herein shall not apply to any "Lifeline" customers of local telephone service suppliers.
The surcharge herein shall not apply to Cornell University, A.T.T. switch 85 with exchange 253, 254, and 255.
The estimated target date for the commencement of Enhanced 911 Emergency Telephone Service in Tompkins County is November 30, 1994.
[Amended 11-4-2009 by L.L. No. 1-2009]
All suppliers of local telephone exchange access lines shall begin to charge the $1 per month surcharge as herein provided to all service bills issued after November 17, 2009, subject to the exclusions contained herein.
[Adopted 11-21-2000 by L.L. No. 8-2000]
This article shall be known as the "Tompkins County Wireless 911 Call Routing Law."
This article is enacted under authority of § 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York, Article IX of the State Constitution of New York, the county law and other applicable statutory and decisional law.
A. 
This County Legislature recognizes the paramount importance of the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the county and further recognizes that when the lives or property of its citizens are in imminent danger that appropriate assistance must be rendered as expeditiously possible.
B. 
This County Legislature recognizes further that such assistance is increasingly summoned by cellular phones and other wireless communication devices and that unintentional, though avoidable, delays in reaching appropriate emergency aid can occur when such 911 calls are not routed directly to the single county-wide Tompkins County Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
C. 
This County Legislature further finds that the Tompkins County PSAP has the most accurate, current and extensive knowledge of Tompkins County's geography, roadways, landmarks, emergency service resources and similar information of critical importance in emergency situations and can immediately dispatch the number and type of emergency services the situation requires.
D. 
The intent of this article is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the people of this county by mandating the direct routing of all 911 calls, including wireless calls, directly to the Tompkins County PSAP so as to facilitate the rendering of emergency services as expeditiously and effectively as possible.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
TOMPKINS COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINT or TOMPKINS COUNTY PSAP
The site designated and operated by the County of Tompkins for the purpose of receiving emergency calls, including those from a wireless telephone service, and dispatching needed emergency services.
WIRELESS TELEPHONE SERVICE
All commercial mobile services, as that term is defined in Section 332(d) of Title 47, United States Code, including all broadband personal communications services, wireless radio telephone services, geographic area specialized and enhanced specialized mobile radio services and incumbent wide-area specialized mobile radio licensees, which offer real time, two-way voice service that is interconnected with the public switched telephone network.
WIRELESS TELEPHONE SERVICE SUPPLIER
Any corporation or person as defined in § 1080 of the Tax Law which provides wireless telephone service in New York State.
All wireless telephone service suppliers doing business in Tompkins County shall route all 911 emergency calls to the Tompkins County Public Service Answering Point.
A. 
No wireless telephone service supplier shall knowingly fail to route wireless 911 telephone calls originating within Tompkins County to the Tompkins County PSAP as required by § 110-12 above.
B. 
No owner, official, employee or agent of a wireless telephone supplier shall design, implement, arrange or cause, either directly or indirectly, a process or activity whereby 911 calls are routed other than as provided in § 110-12 above.
C. 
No person or entity shall either directly or indirectly solicit, suggest, implore, agree or otherwise take action so as to cause or seek to cause a wireless telephone service supplier to route wireless 911 calls from within Tompkins County to other than the Tompkins County PSAP.
Any person or entity violating this article shall be guilty of a violation and shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $100. For purpose of this article, each improperly routed 911 call shall constitute a separate offense.
The County Attorney is authorized to pursue any appropriate legal remedy, including, but not limited to, an injunction to effectuate the purpose of this article.
If any portion of this article thereof is found to be invalid, no other portion of this article shall be affected thereby, and the remainder of this article shall remain in full force and effect.