§ 39-21.2-2. Findings.
The legislature finds that:
(1) Maintaining effective and efficient emergency services across the state benefits all
citizens;
(2) 911 fees imposed upon the consumers of telecommunications services that have the ability
to dial 911 are an important funding mechanism to assist state and local governments
with the deployment of emergency services to the citizens of this state;
(3) Prepaid wireless telecommunication services are an important segment of the telecommunications
industry and have proven particularly attrac
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§ 39-21.2-2. Findings.
The legislature finds that:
(1) Maintaining effective and efficient emergency services across the state benefits all
citizens;
(2) 911 fees imposed upon the consumers of telecommunications services that have the ability
to dial 911 are an important funding mechanism to assist state and local governments
with the deployment of emergency services to the citizens of this state;
(3) Prepaid wireless telecommunication services are an important segment of the telecommunications
industry and have proven particularly attractive to low-income, low-volume consumers;
(4) Unlike traditional telecommunications services, prepaid wireless telecommunications
services are not sold or used pursuant to term contracts or subscriptions, and monthly
bills are not sent to consumers by prepaid wireless telecommunication services providers
or retail vendors;
(5) Prepaid wireless consumers have the same access to emergency 911 services from their
wireless devices as wireless consumers on term contracts, and prepaid wireless consumers
benefit from the ability to access the 911 system by dialing 911;
(6) Consumers purchase prepaid wireless telecommunication services at a wide variety of
general retail locations and other distribution channels, not just through service
providers;
(7) Such purchases are made on a "cash-and-carry� or "pay-as-you-go� basis from retailers;
and
(8) To ensure equitable contributions to the funding of emergency systems from consumers
of prepaid wireless telecommunication services, the collection and payment obligation
of charges to support E-911 should be imposed upon the consumer's retail purchase
of the prepaid wireless telecommunication service and should be in the form of a single,
statewide charge that is collected once at the time of purchase directly from the
consumer, remitted to the state, and distributed to E-911 authorities pursuant to
state law.