An Act To Enhance Availability of Emergency Telephone Services
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1383
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: ADAMS, BARTLETT, BLISS, FLETCHER, HINCK, RAND, HOBBINS
Amends: 35-A MRSA §7109

Legislative Document 
No. 1383 
H.P.975 
House of Representatives, March 13, 2007 
An Act To Enhance Availability of Emergency Telephone Services 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative ADAMS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Senator BARTLETT of Cumberland and 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representati ves: BERRY of Bowdoinham, BLISS of South Portland, FLETCHER of Winslow, 
HINCK of Portland, RAND of Portland, TffiBODEAU of Winterport, Senator: HOBBINS of 
York. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §7109 is enacted to read: 
. §7109. Soft dial tone 
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. 
"Local exchange carrier" means all wireline incumbent and competitive local 
exchange carriers authorized to provide service in the State. 
B. "Soft dial tone" means the continuation of providing emergency 9-1-1 access to 
customer premises when telephone service has been otherwise disconnected for any 
reason. 
2. Provision of soft dial tone. A local exchange carrier shall continue to provide 
emergency 9-1-1 access to a residential customer premises if the local exchange carrier 
was the last carrier to provide telephone service to that premises. 
This requirement 
applies to all telephone lines no longer in service, including, but not limited to, lines that 
were disconnected due to nonpayment for service and lines that were disconnected at the 
request of the customer for any reason. 
3. Standard of service. A local exchange carrier shall provide the standard level of 
enhanced 9-1-1 emergency access when providing soft dial tone. 
4. Duration of obligation. A local exchange carrier shall continue to provide soft 
dial tone service on every line that it previously served until such time as regular 
telephone service is restored on that line by that local exchange carrier or another local 
exchange carrier. 
5. Exceptions. The following are exceptions to this section. 
A. A local exchange carrier is not obligated to provide soft dial tone if the provision 
under subsection 2 requires special construction of facilities solely to provide 
emergency access. 
B. A local exchange carrier that is unable to provide enhanced 9-1-1 service at a 
particular location without significant investment for that location shaH provide 
nonenhanced 9-1-1 emergency service if that service can be provided without 
significant investment. 
C. 
Soft dial tone is not required if the premises is vacant and scheduled to be 
demolished. 
D. Soft dial tone is not required to be provided to a multiline premises if one or more 
lines are in service. 
6. Notice to customer. Each local exchange carrier shall inform its customers at 
least once per year that all primary residential lines are entitled to continuous access to 
enhanced 9-1-1 emergency service, even after regular service has been terminated. The 
notice must also be provided as part of any disconnection notice from a local exchange 
carrier to its customer. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides that so-called "soft dial tone" continues to be made available even 
after regular telephone service is disconnected. 
The bill also provides consistency 
between wireline and wireless carriers in that wireless telephones currently preserve 
access to emergency service even after the disconnection of a service plan.