Telephone Regulations, 1980.
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

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paragraphs: These Regulations may be cited as the Telephone Regulations, 1980.
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paragraphs: These Regulations shall come into operation on the 1st day of July, 1980.
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paragraphs: The Interpretation Act, 1937 (No. 38 of 1937), applies to these Regulations.
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paragraphs: (1) In these Regulations—
"agreement" means an agreement between the Minister and a subscriber;
"alarm clock call" means a call made at the request of a caller or subscriber from an exchange at a specified time to an exchange line or coin-box exchange line;
"caller" means a person attending at a call office or a person other than the subscriber making use of a coin-box exchange line for the purpose of transmitting or receiving a telephonic message;
"call office" means an office open to the public whether continuously or for such daily periods as may be determined from time to time by the Minister for the purpose of transmission and reception of telephonic messages;
"certified" means certified by the Minister or by a duly authorised officer of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, and any such certificate shall be prima facie evidence of the matter certified;
"coin-box'' means a receptacle for coins rented from the Minister by a subscriber and connected with a telephone provided under an agreement;
"coin-box exchange line" means an exchange line with which is connected a coin-box;
"exchange" means a building or apparatus telegraphically connected or intended to be so connected with two or more offices by telegraphic lines and used or intended to be used for the purpose of enabling telephonic messages to be transmitted direct between such offices by means of or with the aid of such lines and of appliances placed in or forming part of the exchange, and designated by the Minister to be an exchange;
"exchange line" means a telegraphic line and apparatus connecting an exchange with an office, including extension lines and apparatus specified in the agreement between the Minister and a subscriber and all other telephone apparatus and accessories the property of the Minister in or on the subscriber's premises;
"exchange system" means an exchange or group of exchanges directed by the Minister to be regarded as an exchange system, together with the exchange lines to any such exchange and, in the case of any such group of exchanges, the telegraphic lines connecting those exchanges with one another;
"external extension" means an extension line other than an internal extension line;
"fee" means any charge other than a charge specified in these Regulations made to a subscriber by the Minister in respect of a service rendered to the said subscriber;
"fixed-time call" means a call to be effected at or about a time specified in advance by the subscriber or caller;
"fixed-time charge" means a charge in respect of a fixed-time call or in respect of an attempt to effect a fixed-time call;
"the group centre" has the meaning assigned to it by Regulation 5 of these Regulations;
"internal extension line" means an extension line wholly within or intended to be wholly within the same office and by means of which two points within the office are connected or are intended to be connected;
"local call" means any call referred to in paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of Regulation 9 of these Regulations;
"office" means a building, part of a building, or other place which is telegraphically connected or intended to be connected, whether permanently or temporarily, by a telegraphic line or telegraphic lines with some other building, part of a building, or place (whether the buildings, parts of buildings, or places respectively be occupied or used solely by one person or by two or more persons jointly) and in or at which telephones are intended to be used for the purpose of enabling any person to transmit from and receive at such building, part of a building, or place telephonic messages;
"personal call" means a call which is specified by the subscriber or caller to be a call for establishment of telephonic communication between the subscriber or caller and a designated person or, at the request (made when the application for the call is made) of the subscriber or caller, between the subscriber or caller and a designated person or a substitute for that person;
"personal charge" means a charge in respect of a personal call or in respect of an attempt to effect a personal call;
"private branch exchange" means switching apparatus installed or intended to be installed in subscriber's premises and connected or intended to be connected both to exchange lines and to extension lines, and designed to provide intercommunication between the extension lines and communications between the extension lines and the exchange lines;
"private telephone circuit" means a telegraphic line and apparatus which connects one office with another independently of any exchange and which is rented from the Minister by the occupier or occupiers of the offices so connected for his or their exclusive use for the purpose of transmitting and receiving telephonic messages on his or their business or private affairs;
"reverse charge call" means a call between telephones in the State or between a telephone in the State and a telephone in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands where the person making the call requests the telephone exchange operator that the charge or charges payable in respect of the call (save any personal charge in case the call is made from a coin-box exchange line) shall be charged to and payable by the person who is the subscriber in respect of the called telephone and the telephone exchange operator obtains from the person answering on the called telephone a consent to the request before the call is established;
"subscriber" means a person with whom the Minister makes or has made an agreement for the purpose of enabling such person to communicate with other persons by means of the telegraphic line specified in that agreement;
"subscriber dialled trunk call" means a call which is made by a subscriber or a caller in which the connection of the call is effected by automatic switching and in respect of which the charge for the call is recorded on the meter associated with the subscriber's exchange line or the call office line as a number of metered units in accordance with Regulation 10 of these Regulations;
"subscription" means the sum due in accordance with the terms of the agreement in respect of rental of the exchange line specified in the agreement;
"subscriber's premises" means any premises where the exchange line is installed;
"telegraphic line" means a telegraphic line within the meaning of the Telegraph Act, 1878, for the purposes of that Act;
"telephone" means a telegraphic transmitting or receiving instrument used or intended to be used at any office for the purpose of transmitting or receiving by means of electricity spoken messages or communications;
"telephone groups" has the meaning assigned to it by Regulation 5 of these Regulations;
"telephone service" means, except where the context otherwise requires, the facility provided by the Minister under an agreement at the premises of a subscriber whereby the said subscriber is enabled to transmit and receive telephonic messages concerning his business or private affairs;
"telephonic message" means a spoken message or communication transmitted by telephone;
"the Minister" means the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs;
"trunk call" means any call which is not a local call;
"trunk line" means a telegraphic line used for telephonic communication and connecting an exchange system with another exchange system;
"urgent call" means a trunk call for which precedence is requested by the subscriber or caller and to which the Minister assigns a degree of precedence over other trunk calls which he considers appropriate.
(2) References in these Regulations to calls made by a subscriber shall be construed as references to calls made by means of an exchange line which is the subject of an agreement, whether the call is made by the subscriber or by another person.
PART II. CALL CHARGES AND OTHER MATTERS RELATING THERETO.
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paragraphs: (1) The Minister shall classify telephone exchanges into groups (in these Regulations referred to as "telephone groups") and shall determine in relation to each telephone group:
( a ) what other telephone groups, if any, are to be regarded as adjacent to it and
( b ) the point (in these Regulations referred to as the "group centre") which is to be used for measuring distances for the purpose of charging for calls.
(2) The Minister shall supply to every subscriber on demand a list of the telephone exchanges which are for the time being either in the same telephone group as the exchange with which the subscriber is connected or in the telephone groups which are regarded by the Minister as being adjacent to that group.
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paragraphs: (1) The distance between the group centres as regards two exchanges which are connected for a trunk call shall, for the purpose of computing the charge for such a call, be measured in a straight line on a horizontal plane.
(2) Every doubt, question, or dispute which arises under this Regulation as respects distances shall be decided by the Minister.
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paragraphs: Every doubt, question, or dispute which arises in respect of the time of commencement, the duration, or the time of termination of a call shall be decided by the Minister.
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paragraphs: Calls for a period exceeding three minutes may be allowed, but no person shall be entitled as of right to continue a call for a period exceeding three minutes, and if a call continues for a period exceeding three minutes, the Minister may, if he considers it desirable in relation to the proper provision of the telephone service to do so, interrupt, disconnect or interrupt and disconnect the call.
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paragraphs: (1) In respect of every call made by a subscriber to a telephone in the same telephone group or to a telephone in another telephone group which is regarded by the Minister as being adjacent to the telephone group of the subscriber making the call there shall be charged to the subscriber and paid by him whichever of the charges specified in paragraph 1 of the First Schedule to these Regulations is appropriate to the call.