2009-0092
INTRODUCED BY: TERRY AUTHEMENT, COUNCILMAN-AT-LARGE, DIVISION B
RESOLUTION NO.
Title
A resolution requesting the St. Charles Parish Legislative Delegation draft and support local legislation relative to the St. Charles Parish Communications District to provide for the assessment of prepaid wireless telephone service.
Body
WHEREAS, the public has high expectations for effective and accessible 9-1-1 emergency services regardless of the communications technology used or the means of purchasing the technology; the funding of wireless 9-1-1 emergency services is critical to meeting the public's expectations for effective and accessible 9-1-1 services; and,
WHEREAS, the St. Charles Parish Communications District is dedicated to provide such a service for its citizenry and acquires the funding to do so solely by the assessment of a five percent (5%) tariff levied upon the basic phone service charge for both residential and commercial telephone subscribers per month and $0.85 per month on wireless phone subscribers whose billing address is within the Parish; and,
WHEREAS, the public has come to expect that their "telephone" will provide immediate access to emergency services by dialing "9-1-1", that their call will be answered by local personnel who can dispatch first responders to the scene, and that their location and phone number will be provided automatically; and,
WHEREAS, the public does not expect any different level of service because the "telephone", over which the call is made, uses technology other than the traditional wire line communications services; and,
WHEREAS, from the perspective of the 9-1-1 caller, all telephones are functionally equivalent, and the expectation is that the level of 9-1-1 service will be the same; and,
WHEREAS, due to the ever increasing demands placed on the E-911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) with the receiving of an overwhelming number of prepaid wireless emergency calls which can be problematic and require operators to expend valuable time to acquire calling and location information where emergency response is needed; and,
WHEREAS, the mandate imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) via FCC Matter 94-102, acted in July 1996, which sets distinct requirements for making wireless 9-1-1 more compatible with existing 9-1-1 wire line systems and stipulates the necessity for the establishment of a cost recovery mechanism; and,
WHEREAS, there is definite inequality placed on wireless service subscribers who pay for emergency 9-1-1 service listed on their monthly bill, opposed to advance-pad (or Prepaid) wireless service subscribers who do not, and more-so, on the Communications District who bares the burden in the receiving of an ever increasing number of emergency calls originating from prepaid wireless service subscriber devices.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the St. Charles Parish Council convened in regular session on Monday, March 16, 2009, that it does hereby request that the St. Charles Parish Legislative Delegation draft and support local Legislation for the purpose of collecting a prepaid wireless E-911 service charge at the rate of $ .85 per wireless prepaid card purchased within St. Charles Parish and remittance of such fee by the service wholesaler directly to the St. Charles Parish Communications District.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this Resolution shall be forwarded to the St. Charles Parish Legislative Delegation and the Office of the Parish President.
Vote
The foregoing resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:
And the resolution was declared adopted this ____ day of _____________, 2009, to become effective five (5) days after publication in the Official Journal.
CHAIRMAN:_________________________________________
SECRETARY:________________________________________
DLVD/PARISH PRESIDENT:____________________________
APPROVED:______________ DISAPPROVED:_____________
PARISH PRESIDENT:_________________________________
RETD/SECRETARY:__________________________________
AT:_______________ RECD BY: ________________________