North Dakota Code 54-44.8-08 – Telephone access line and radio communications access surcharge
1. Before May first of each year, the department shall report all cost data and other information to the commission. Each local exchange company and radio communications service provider shall report all information requested by the department in order to determine the number of telephone access lines and radio communications access service numbers. Before June first of each year, the commission shall determine the amount of a surcharge, not to exceed eleven cents per telephone access line per month, based upon available cost data and other information provided by the department necessary to cover the costs of providing intrastate telecommunications relay service as provided in section 401 of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [47 U.S.C. § 225], including the cost of implementing and administering this chapter which includes the provision of specialized equipment to eligible persons, and taking into consideration any surplus in the telecommunications services account. The surcharge is imposed effective on its determination by the commission and must be billed and collected as provided in this chapter. The surcharge is subject to section 49-21-01.3. Funding for the interstate portion of the state telecommunications relay service must be provided in a manner consistent with rules and orders adopted by the federal communications commission in implementing the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The department shall notify each local exchange company and radio communications service provider, in writing, of the amount of the monthly surcharge determined by the commission.
Terms Used In North Dakota Code 54-44.8-08
- following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute means the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- year: means twelve consecutive months. See North Dakota Code 1-01-33
2. Each local exchange company and radio communications service provider shall include and identify the surcharge determined under subsection 1 in its monthly billing for service to a customer of the company or provider.
3. Each customer of a local exchange company or radio communications service provider is liable for payment to the local exchange company or radio communications service provider of any surcharge imposed pursuant to this chapter. The local exchange company or radio communications service provider is not liable for any uncollected surcharge, nor does the company have an obligation to take any legal action to enforce the collection of any surcharge that is unpaid by its customers.
4. No customer of a local exchange company may be required to pay the surcharge on more than one hundred telephone access lines per account and no customer of a radio communications service provider may be required to pay the surcharge on more than one hundred radio communications access service numbers per account in this state.
5. Except as provided in subsection 6, a local exchange company or radio communications service provider shall transmit all surcharges billed and collected to the department no later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter in which the surcharge is collected. The administrator shall remit the surcharges received to the state treasurer. The state treasurer shall deposit all surcharges received in the state treasury to the credit of the telecommunications services account for the communications impaired.
6. Each local exchange company or radio communications service provider may deduct and retain five percent of the total surcharges billed and collected each month to cover its administrative expense in complying with the requirements of subsections 2, 3, 4, and 5.