An Act To Designate Pay Phone Locations in the Public Interest
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1101
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: ADAMS, DAMON, ASH, BLISS, CANAVAN, CURTIS, FITTS, FLETCHER, HOTHAM, BARTLETT

Legislative Document 
No. HOt 
H.P.754 
House of Representati ves, March 1, 2005 
An Act To Designate Pay Phone Locations in the Public Interest 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative ADAMS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Senator DAMON of Hancock and 
'IJ1~ 1J7.7J?~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: ASH of Belfast, BLISS of South Portland, CANAVAN of Waterville, 
CURTIS of Madison, FITTS of Pittsfield, FLETCHER of Winslow, HOTHAM of Dixfield, 
Senator: BARTLETT of Cumberland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 35·A MRSA §7508 is enacted to read: 
§7508. 
Public-interest PAY phones 
1. Public-interest pay phone locations. In order to ensure 
access to pay phone in a manner that fulfills the requirements of 
the public health, 
safety and welfare, 
the 
commission shall 
identify by rule locations for public interest pay phones in 
accordance with this section. 
A. 
A public-interest pay phone location may be designated 
where other forms of 1andline or wireless service are not 
available or are unaffordable or where access by the general 
public is of special importance. 
B. 
A pUblic-interest pay phone location may be designated 
in security settings, such as correctional facilities, where 
landline or wireless service is not practical or authorized. 
C. 
A public-interest pay phone location may be designated 
upon petition by citizens pursuant to procedures identified 
by commission rule. 
D. 
A public-interest pay phone may not be removed from 
service unless its owner provides written notice to the 
commission 30 days prior to removal. 
2. 
Recovery 
of 
costs; 
account. 
Any 
incremental 
costs 
associated with installing or maintaining a public-interest pay 
phone pursuant to this section and 47 United States Code Section 
276(b) (2) must be recovered from owners of public or semipublic 
pay phones in the State by means of an annual assessment on those 
owners levied by the commission. 
Each owner of a public or 
semipublic pay phone in this State must be billed an annual 
charge for each pay phone location sufficient to fund for one 
year the number of public-interest pay phones authorized under 
this section by the 
commission. 
All 
funds 
received by the 
commission from owners of public and semipublic pay phones must 
be deposited in a public-interest pay phone account established 
within the commission. 
3. Rules. The commission shall adopt rules that are routine 
technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A 
to implement this section. 
SUMMARY 
Due 
to the prevalence of wireless 
telephone 
technology, 
public pay phones in Maine have become less numerous in recent 
years, which has led to a loss of access to E-9-1-1 emergency 
Page I-LR0304 (1) 
services in many locations where landline or cellular service is 
not available and hinders the receipt of services by low-income 
households, by tourists and by visitors in remote areas of the 
State. This bill preserves the availability of public-interest 
pay phones in locations to be determined by the Public Utilities 
Commission and funds the continued operation of these pay phones, 
as necessary, with a surcharge levied each year on the owners of 
pay phones in the State.