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Budget Recommendations
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Outside Section 13
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Emergency Telecommunications Program Funding
SECTION 13.
Said chapter 6A of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 18H as added by section 1 of chapter 239 of the acts of 2002, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
Section 18H½. (a) The department of telecommunications and energy shall promulgate rules providing for the recovery by telecommunications companies of expenses that have been, are, or will be, until December 31, 2007, incurred that are associated with the services pursuant to sections 18A to 18F, inclusive, of this chapter and sections 14A and 15E of chapter 166. With respect to any deficit incurred by the telephone companies before the effective date of this section, the department of telecommunications and energy shall determine the portion of directory assistance revenues that will be used to offset that deficit, including any interest the department may determine should be applied. The rules shall provide for the funding of the prudently incurred expenses by means of a charge on each voice grade exchange telephone line of business and residence customers within the commonwealth; but the surcharge applicable to centrex service shall be based on an equivalency provided to each private branch exchange trunk. In the development of the charge, all telephone companies shall submit to the department historical data verifying their participation in the statutory funding mechanism. The department of telecommunications and energy shall annually report to the general court concerning the financial condition of the fund and shall address in the report the reasonableness of the capital expenditures and related expenses of the statewide emergency telecommunications board incurred in complying with chapter 166, sections 14A and 15E.
b) Each telecommunication company shall remit the surcharge revenues collected from its subscribers to the state treasurer for deposit in the Wireline Enhanced 911 Fund established in section 35W½ of chapter 10. The surcharge revenues shall be used by the board for the recovery by the board and telecommunications companies of expenses that have been, or will be, incurred in complying with sections 18A to 18F, inclusive, of this chapter and sections 14A and 15E of chapter 166.
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