West Virginia Code 24-6-4 – Creation of emergency telephone systems
(a) Upon the adoption by the Public Service Commission of a comprehensive plan, the public agency may establish, consistent with the comprehensive plan, an emergency telephone system within its jurisdiction. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit or discourage in any way the establishment of multijurisdiction or regional systems, and any emergency telephone system established pursuant to this article may include the territory of more than one public agency, or may include only a portion of the territory of a public agency. To the extent feasible, emergency telephone systems shall be centralized.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 24-6-4
- Comprehensive plan: means a plan pertaining to the installing, modifying or replacing of telephone switching equipment. See West Virginia Code 24-6-2
- Emergency telephone system: means a telephone system which through normal telephone service facilities automatically connects a person dialing the primary emergency telephone number to an established public agency answering point, but does not include an enhanced emergency telephone system. See West Virginia Code 24-6-2
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Public agency: means the state and any municipality, county, public district or public authority which provides or has authority to provide firefighting, police, ambulance, medical, rescue or other emergency services. See West Virginia Code 24-6-2
- Public safety unit: means a functional division of a public agency which provides firefighting, police, medical, rescue or other emergency services. See West Virginia Code 24-6-2
- Public Service Commission: means the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. See West Virginia Code 24-1-2
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Telephone company: means any public utility and any CMRS provider which is engaged in the provision of telephone service whether primarily by means of wire or wireless facilities. See West Virginia Code 24-6-2
(b) Every emergency telephone system shall provide access to emergency services organizations, police, fire fighting and emergency medical and ambulance services and may provide access to other emergency services. The system may also provide access to private ambulance services. The emergency telephone system shall provide the necessary mechanical equipment at the established public agency answering point to allow deaf persons access to the system. In those areas in which a public safety unit of the state provides emergency services, the system shall provide access to the public safety unit.
(c) The primary emergency telephone number to the extent possible shall be uniform throughout the state.
(d) Insofar as it is consistent with applicable federal law and federal communications commission regulations and orders, a telephone company in the normal course of replacing or making major modifications to its switching equipment shall include the capability of providing for the emergency telephone system and shall bear all costs related to including that capability. All charges for other services and facilities provided by the telephone company, including the provision of distribution facilities and station equipment, shall be paid for by the public agency or public safety unit in accordance with the applicable tariff rates then in effect for those services and facilities. Other costs pursuant to the emergency telephone system shall be allocated as determined by the applicable comprehensive plan of the Public Service Commission.
(e) All coin-operated telephones within the state shall be of a design that will permit a caller to initiate, without first having to insert a coin (dial tone first or post-pay systems), local calls to the long distance and directory assistance operators, calls to the emergency telephone number answering point, if one has been established in his or her local calling area, and to other numbers for services as the telephone company may from time to time make available to the public.