§ 7-801

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.

(b) “Board” means the Governor’s Advisory Board for Telecommunications Relay.

(c) “Communications company” means a public service company, as defined in § 1–101 of the Public Utilities Article, or any other company, that provides a communications service.

(d) “Communications service” means:

(1) landline telephone service;

(2) wireless or cellular telephone service; or

(3) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, as defined in § 8–601 of the Public Utilities Article.

(e) “Department” means the Department of Disabilities.

(f) “Dual party telephone relay program” means a service that provides full and simultaneous communication between a person or persons with a disability that prevents them from using a standard telephone and a person or persons without that disability using conventional telephone equipment or other technology or equipment, whereby the disabled person or persons have their message relayed through an intermediary party using specialized telecommunications equipment.

(g) “Program” means the dual party telephone relay program.

(h) “Program participant” means a resident of the State who uses the dual party telephone relay program.

(i) (1) “Specialized customer telephone equipment” means any communications device that enables or assists a person with a disability to communicate with others by means of the public switched telephone network or Internet protocol–enabled voice communications service.

(2) “Specialized customer telephone equipment” includes:

(i) TDD/TT/TTY;

(ii) amplifiers;

(iii) captioned telephones;

(iv) VRS equipment;

(v) cell phones;

(vi) pagers;

(vii) puff blow devices;

(viii) Braille–TTY devices; and

(ix) equipment for the mobility disabled.

(j) “Telecommunications device for the deaf” or “TDD/TT/TTY” means all types of mechanical devices that enable disabled individuals to communicate through messages sent and received through a telephone or wireless network.