Pennsylvania Code › Title 4 - ADMINISTRATION › Part V - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY › Chapter 120b - PUBLIC SAFETY EMERGENCY TELEPHONE PROGRAM › Section 120b.102 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter,
				  have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
				  otherwise:
Act
-The Public Safety Emergency Telephone
				  Act (35 P. S. §
										§
										7011-7021).
Agency
-The Pennsylvania Emergency Management
				  Agency.
COCOT
-Customer-Owned Coin Operated
				  Telephone.
CPE-customer premises
				  equipment
-Telecommunications and associated terminal equipment that is
				  located at the PSAP or dispatch point and has capabilities for handling or
				  dispatching, or both, 911 calls. This equipment may be provided all or in part
				  by the telephone company or by another supplier.
Central office/end central office
-A local
				  telephone company switching system where telephone exchange service customer
				  station loops are terminated for purposes of interconnection to each other and
				  to trunks. The term applies for purposes of the contribution rate.
Central office upgrades
-The replacement of
				  central office equipment with more advanced technology for the purpose of
				  making available more 911 features.
Commission
-The Pennsylvania Public Utility
				  Commission.
Contribution rate
-A county fee that is
				  assessed against a telephone subscriber and collected by the telephone company
				  for the nonrecurring, maintenance and operational costs of a 911 system. The
				  fee may be used for expenses incurred in implementing, expanding or upgrading a
				  911 system. Once a plan and contribution rate has been established, the
				  contribution rate shall remain fixed for at least 3 years. The contribution
				  rate on each local exchange access line may not exceed the following
				  amounts:
(i) First through second
				class A counties, a contribution rate not to exceed $1/line/month.
(ii) Third through fifth class counties, a
				contribution rate not to exceed $1.25/line/month.
(iii) Sixth through eighth class counties, a
				contribution rate not to exceed $1.50/line/month.
Control office
-The central office which
				  provides switching capability for selectively routed 911 calls and terminates
				  911 dedicated lines from a central office or PSAP, or both. It controls the
				  switching of the automatic number identification (ANI) and selective routing
				  information to the PSAPs.
Council
-The Pennsylvania Emergency
				  Management Council.
County
-The term includes a city of the first
				  class coterminous with a county.
County plan
-An emergency communications plan
				  developed by a county or two or more counties in concert and submitted to the
				  Agency on a triennial basis outlining the county's 911 system, including the
				  contribution rate. The plan shall be unique to the county to meet the
				  individual needs of the county, the local governments and emergency service
				  providers within the county.
Data base
-The collection of information
				  necessary for a 911 emergency communications system. This information may
				  include street files, geographic files, subscriber names, telephone number,
				  street address or location and other files necessary for the proper and prompt
				  handling of 911 calls.
Dedicated line
-A communication path
				  connecting a PSAP to one or more locations through other than exchange access
				  lines. The term includes private lines, tie lines and on-premises
				  channels.
Dial line
-A communication path connecting a
				  PSAP to various other points by dialing a numeric code. The term includes
				  exchange access lines, private branch exchange lines, centrex lines and
				  intercommunication lines.
Directly related personnel salary and benefit
				  costs
-Wage, salary and benefit costs for personnel responsible for
				  provision of 911 services. The term may include PSAP personnel at telephone
				  answering or dispatch stations, or both, and 911 supervisory personnel. The
				  amount of the contribution rate dedicated to salary, training and benefit costs
				  may not exceed 70% of the total surcharge, subscriber fee, collected during
				  each county's fiscal year.
Emergency services
-The term includes
				  services, including firefighting, law enforcement, ambulance and medical,
				  provided for the protection or preservation of persons or property in
				  circumstances of immediate and significant threat of injury or harm.
Equipment costs
-The costs of customer
				  premises and microwave equipment purchased by the county that is directly
				  related to the 911 system.
Equipment lease charges
-Charges for customer
				  premises and microwave equipment leased by the county that is directly related
				  to the 911 system.
Local exchange telephone service
-The
				  provision of telephonic message transmission within an exchange, as it is
				  defined and described in tariffs filed with and approved by the
				  Commission.
Local government
-A county, city, borough,
				  town, first class township, second class township or home rule
				  municipality.
Mobile communications equipment
-Cellular
				  telephones, improved mobile telephone service or a system which provides voice
				  telephone service to a mobile station. The term includes mobile radio equipment
				  that is affixed to a vehicle or other mobile station or equipment designed to
				  be carried by an individual.
Network changes
-Central office changes
				  required to be made by a telephone company, so that when 911 is dialed the call
				  is directed to the proper trunk circuits, including selective routing but not
				  including central office upgrades.
911 emergency communications system
-A system
				  which permits a person dialing 911 by telephone to be connected to a PSAP, via
				  telephone facilities, for the reporting of police, fire, medical or other
				  emergency services.
Nonswitched call
-A telephone call carried
				  over exchange facilities from the calling party, originating station, to the
				  called party, terminating station, via a directly routed circuit.
PBX
-Private Branch Exchange.
PSAP-Public safety answering point
-The first
				  point at which calls placed by individuals for emergency assistance are
				  answered, 24 hours/day. It may be the same location that dispatches emergency
				  assistance but does not necessarily need to be the same.
Person
-In addition to a natural person, the
				  term includes a corporation, a partnership, an association, the Federal
				  government, the State government, a political subdivision, and a municipal or
				  other local authority.
Public agency
-The Commonwealth or a
				  political subdivision, public authority, municipal authority or an organization
				  located in whole or in part within this Commonwealth which provides or has the
				  authority to provide firefighting, law enforcement, ambulance, emergency
				  medical or other emergency services.
Public pay stations
-Telephones owned or
				  operated by a regulated public utility which require coin insertion, use of
				  credit card or third-party billing for call placement. The term does not
				  include COCOTS and semipublic pay stations.
Public safety agency
-A functional division
				  of a public agency which provides firefighting, law enforcement, ambulance,
				  medical or other emergency services.
Semipublic pay stations
-A pay telephone
				  which is used by both the customer (owner) and the public in locations that are
				  public in character and which is installed at the customer's initiative and
				  billed to the customer. The term includes stations owned by the telephone
				  company.
Telephone subscriber
-A person who contracts
				  with a telephone company within this Commonwealth for local exchange telephone
				  service, either residential or commercial, but not including public pay
				  stations. Each dial tone access line or PBX trunk group member shall constitute
				  a separate subscription.
Telephone terminal equipment
-Customer
				  premises equipment that is located at the PSAP and is provided by a telephone
				  company or other vendor; for example, telephone answering positions, display
				  terminals, printers and call recording equipment.
Trunk line service
-911 telephone trunks from
				  the telephone company central office where the 911 calls originate, to the
				  control central office and from the control central office to the PSAP.
Utility
-A public utility or a municipality,
				  subject to Commission jurisdiction, which provides electric, gas, steam heat,
				  sewer or water service.
The provisions of this §
											120b.2 amended under the Emergency
					 Management Service Code,
					 35 Pa.C.S. §
												7313.