AB779: Bill Text

AB779,14,14 256.35 (3) (cm) Fee adjustments. 1. The commission may annually issue an order decreasing or increasing the amount of the fee required under par. (bm), but only as specified in subd. 2., and only if directed by the state 911 council under sub. (3h) (b) 9. and approved by the governor, and only if an order increasing the amount is approved by the joint committee on finance under subd. 3.

AB779,14,16 2. a. An order under subd. 1. may not decrease the fee below the amount necessary to generate sufficient revenue for the appropriation under s. 20.155 (3) (h).

AB779,14,20 b. An order under subd. 1. may increase the fee to reflect adjustments to the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, as determined by the federal department of labor. The commission shall advise the state 911 council on the increases that are allowed under this subd. 2. b.

AB779,14,25 c. For the fee required under par. (bm) 1., an order under subd. 1. may increase the fee to no more than $0.40 per month with an adjustment described in subd. 2. b., and except that, for the fee required under par. (bm) 2., an order under subd. 1. may increase the fee to no more than $0.20 per retail transaction with an adjustment described in subd. 2. b.

AB779,15,11 3. Before the commission issues an order under subd. 1. that increases the amount of the fee required under par. (bm), the commission shall submit the order to the joint committee on finance. If the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the commission that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the order within 14 working days after the date of the commission's submittal, the joint committee on finance is considered to have approved the order for purposes of subd. 1. If, within 14 working days after the date of the commission's submittal, the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance notify the commission that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the order, the commission may not issue the order unless the joint committee on finance approves the order.

AB779,15,16 4. No later than October 1 of each year, the commission shall notify communications providers and sellers who offer prepaid wireless on behalf of communications providers of any order issued under subd. 1. for that year and any decrease or increase to the fee allowed under par. (bm) that is specified in the order shall be effective on January 1 of the following year.

AB779,37 Section 37. 256.35 (3) (dm) of the statutes is created to read:

AB779,15,21 256.35 (3) (dm) Fee remittance. 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., no later than the first calendar month following the calendar month in which a communications provider or retailer receives from a service user a fee imposed under par. (bm), the communications provider or retailer shall remit the fee to the commission.

AB779,15,24 2. The commission may contract with the department for the collection of fees imposed under par. (bm). If the commission and the department enter into such a contract, all of the following apply:

AB779,16,4 a. No later than the first calendar month following the calendar month in which a communications provider or retailer receives from a service user a fee that is subject to the contract, the communications provider or retailer shall remit the fee to the department.

AB779,16,7 b. The department may require communications providers and retailers to register with the department and file returns in the manner prescribed by the department.

AB779,16,9 c. Section 77.59 (1) to (6), (8), and (8m), as it applies to the taxes imposed under subch. III of ch. 77, applies to the fees that are subject to the contract.

AB779,38 Section 38. 256.35 (3) (em) of the statutes is created to read:

AB779,16,12 256.35 (3) (em) Commission powers. The commission may do any of the following:

AB779,16,13 1. Promulgate rules for administering this subsection.

AB779,16,15 2. Bring an action to collect any amount that is required to be remitted under par. (dm).

AB779,39 Section 39. 256.35 (3) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB779,16,19 256.35 (3) (h) Fee liability. Every service user subject to and billed for a charge fee under this subsection is liable for that charge fee until the service user pays the charge fee to the service supplier communications provider.

AB779,40 Section 40. 256.35 (3f) of the statutes is created to read:

AB779,16,23 256.35 (3f) Statewide 911 telecommunications. (b) From the appropriation under s. 20.155 (3) (h), the commission shall contract with 911 service providers for the establishment and maintenance of a statewide 911 telecommunications system.

AB779,17,6 (c) From the appropriation under s. 20.155 (3) (h), the commission shall reimburse all commercially reasonable costs incurred by a communications provider to provide 911 telecommunications service. A communications provider shall file with the commission a price schedule that lists the prices of all of the communications provider's services associated with installing, maintaining, and operating 911 telecommunications service, including nonrecurring and recurring costs. The commission shall determine whether a communications provider's price schedule is commercially reasonable.

AB779,17,8 (d) The commission may contract with a 3rd party for the administration of this subsection.

AB779,41 Section 41. 256.35 (3h) of the statutes is created to read:

AB779,17,11 256.35 (3h) State 911 council. (a) In this subsection, "council" means the state 911 council.

AB779,17,12 (b) The council shall do all of the following:

AB779,17,14 1. Advise the commission on the administration of 911 telecommunications services and associated grant programs.

AB779,17,15 2. Conduct a statewide 911 telecommunications system assessment.

AB779,17,16 3. Develop a statewide plan for 911 telecommunications services.

AB779,17,18 4. Develop recommendations for service standards for public safety answering points.

AB779,17,21 5. Establish criteria for eligibility for state 911 grants and advise the commission as to the standards the commission develops under sub. (3j). The criteria for eligibility shall include basic training standards and service standards.

AB779,17,24 6. Promote, facilitate, and coordinate interoperability across all state public safety answering points with respect to telecommunications services and data systems, including geographic information systems.

AB779,18,3 7. Promote, facilitate, and coordinate consolidation of public safety answering point functions where consolidation would provide improved service, increased efficiency, or cost savings.

AB779,18,6 8. Seek funding from sources, including federal sources, for 911 telecommunications system enhancements, studies, and other purposes consistent with the duties of the council.

AB779,18,9 9. Direct the commission under sub. (3) (cm) as to the amount of the fee required under sub. (3) (bm) that is necessary to provide full-cost recovery for statewide 911 telecommunications service under sub. (3f) and for grants under sub. (3j) (a).

AB779,18,11 10. Undertake all of its duties in a manner that is competitively and technologically neutral to all service providers.

AB779,18,12 11. Coordinate with the interoperability council under s. 15.107 (18).

AB779,18,14 12. Assist the commission in identifying and obtaining funding to implement a statewide 911 telecommunications system.

AB779,18,16 13. Advise the commission on allocating any funds obtained under subd. 12. for the purpose of achieving the goals under this paragraph.

AB779,18,21 14. By January 1 of each odd-numbered year, submit a report to the joint committee on finance identifying the number of grants provided to public safety answering points under sub. (3j) in each of the previous 2 years, identifying the total amount of money provided in grants for each of those years, and describing how the public safety answering points utilized the grants.

AB779,42 Section 42. 256.35 (3j) of the statutes is created to read:

AB779,19,5 256.35 (3j) State 911 grants. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.155 (3) (k), the commission shall, under the direction of the state 911 council, provide grants to public safety answering points for the improvement of 911 services in the state. Only one public safety answering point in a county is eligible for grants under this paragraph and the commission may provide grants to a public safety answering point only if the county in which the public safety answering point is located has passed a resolution specifying that the public safety answering point is eligible for the grants.

AB779,19,6 (b) The commission shall promulgate rules that do all of the following:

AB779,19,12 1. Using the purposes specified by the state 911 council under sub. (3h), specify the purposes of the grants under par. (a), which may include advanced training of telecommunicators, equipment or software expenses, and incentives to consolidate some or all of the functions of 2 or more public safety answering points. Grant purposes may not include general public safety answering point overhead or staffing costs, or costs for providing emergency services or emergency services equipment.

AB779,19,16 2. Using the criteria developed by the state 911 council under sub. (3h) (b) 5., specify the criteria and procedures for use in selecting grantees and administering the grant program under par. (a), including basic training and service standards that must be met for a public safety answering point to be eligible for a grant.

AB779,19,17 3. Measures to ensure the accountability of grant recipients under par. (a).

AB779,19,25 (c) By February 28 of each odd-numbered year, the commission shall submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3), regarding receipts and expenditures made by the state 911 council and under the grant program under par. (a); the status of 911 services in this state; and any recommendations to modify liability exemptions under s. 256.35 (7), including those for public safety answering points that divert nuisance or harassing calls and for multiline telephone system owners or operators.

AB779,43 Section 43. 256.35 (3m) (a) 2. of the statutes is repealed.

AB779,44 Section 44. 256.35 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB779,20,6 256.35 (4) Departmental advisory Advisory authority. The department of administration may provide information to public agencies, public safety agencies and telecommunications utilities relating to the development and operation of emergency number systems.

AB779,45 Section 45. 256.35 (12) of the statutes is created to read:

AB779,20,10 256.35 (12) Provider information. (a) Definition. In this subsection, "proprietary information" means information that would aid a competitor of a communications provider in competition with the communications provider.

AB779,20,18 (b) Proprietary information. Any information submitted by a communications provider to the commission that the communications provider designates as proprietary information, and that the commission determines is proprietary information, is confidential and not subject to inspection or copying under s. 19.35, except with the written consent of the communications provider. Information collected by the commission may be released or published only in a manner that does not identify or enable identification of the number of subscribers or revenues attributable to an individual communications provider.

AB779,21,2 (c) Subscriber records and information. Subscriber records that a communications provider discloses to a public safety answering point for public safety purposes remain the property of the communications provider. A public safety answering point may access a subscriber record only when a call is placed to "911" from the subscriber's telephone. Any connection information of a subscriber, including identification of a subscriber's communications provider, that is obtained from the communications provider by a public safety answering point is not subject to inspection or copying under s. 19.35.

AB779,21,5 (d) Automatic location identification database and master street address guide updates. 1. In this paragraph, "service" means communications service that is associated with a particular geographic location.

AB779,21,11 2. No later than 2 business days after a communications provider installs or relocates service for a new or existing customer or after a customer notifies a communications provider of the initial location or relocation of the customer's service, the communications provider shall submit an update for the automatic location identification database for that location to the 911 service provider that manages the automatic location identification database for that location.

AB779,21,15 3. If the need for an update to the master street address guide is required for a 911 service provider to process an update received by the 911 service provider under subd. 2., the 911 service provider shall do one of the following within 2 business days after the 911 service provider receives the update:

AB779,21,16 a. Update the master street address guide for that location.

AB779,21,19 b. Identify additional information necessary to update the master street address guide for that location and request that information from the relevant public safety answering point.

AB779,21,22 4. No later than 2 business days after a public safety answering point receives a request for information regarding a location from a communications provider under subd. 3. b., the public safety answering point shall do one of the following:

AB779,21,23 a. Provide the requested information to the 911 service provider.

AB779,21,25 b. Update the master street address guide for that location and notify the 911 service provider of the update.

AB779,22,4 5. No later than 2 business days after a 911 service provider receives information regarding a location that is provided by a public safety answering point under subd. 4. a., the 911 service provider shall update the master street address guide for that location.

AB779,46 Section 46 . Nonstatutory provisions.

AB779,22,10 (1) Initial terms of council members. Notwithstanding section 15.797 (2) of the statutes, as created by this act, of the initial members appointed to the state 911 council, the terms of 5 of the members expire on July 1, 2014, and the terms of 5 of the members expire on July 1, 2015. The terms of all of the other initial members expire on July 1, 2016.

AB779,22,11 (2) Transition to statewide 911 telecommunications service.

AB779,22,12 (a) Definitions. In this subsection:

AB779,22,14 1. "911 contracts" means the contracts required under section 256.35 (3f) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act.

AB779,22,15 2. "Commission" means the public service commission.

AB779,22,18 3. "Existing contract" means a contract described in section 256.35 (3) (b) 3., 2011 stats., between a county and service provider that is in effect immediately before the effective date of this subdivision.

AB779,22,20 4. "Service supplier" has the meaning given in section 256.35 (3) (a) 3., 2011 stats.

AB779,22,21 5. "Service user" has the meaning given in section 256.35 (3) (a) 4., 2011 stats.

AB779,23,3 (b) Existing duties. If a county and service supplier have entered into an existing contact, the service supplier shall continue to perform the duties specified in the existing contract. The requirement to perform those duties shall terminate on the date, as determined by the commission, that a statewide 911 telecommunications system is established in the county pursuant to the applicable 911 contracts. The commission shall specify the termination date in a written notice that the commission shall provide to the service supplier and the county.

AB779,23,8 (c) Reimbursement for existing duties. From the appropriation under section 20.155 (3) (h) of the statutes, as created by this act, the commission shall reimburse a service supplier for performing the duties required under paragraph (b). The amount of the reimbursement may not exceed the charges levied on the service supplier's service users under section 256.35 (3) (b), 2011 stats.

AB779,23,15 (d) Other reimbursement. From the appropriation under section 20.155 (3) (h) of the statutes, as created by this act, the commission shall reimburse a service supplier for any nonrecurring services described in section 256.35 (3) (b) 3. a., 2011 stats., that are provided under an existing contract, that the service supplier has not recovered in rates pursuant to section 256.35 (3) (d), 2011 stats., and for which the service supplier is not otherwise reimbursed under paragraph (c), all contracts, or section 256.35 (3f) (c) of the statutes, as created by this act.

AB779,47 Section 47. Effective dates. This act takes effect on July 1, 2014, or on the day after publication, whichever is later, except as follows:

AB779,23,19 (1) The amendment of section 196.025 (6) (b) of the statutes takes effect on the day after publication.

AB779,23,20 (End)