§ 39-21.1-5 - Establishment of 9-1-1 service.
SECTION 39-21.1-5
§ 39-21.1-5 Establishment of 9-1-1service. – (a) The state shall establish a single central statewide emergency 911 systemequipped with selective call routing, automatic number identification, andautomatic location identification. All telecommunication service providers whooperate within this state shall provide access to the E 9-1-1 Uniform EmergencyTelephone System with selective call routing, automatic number identificationand automatic location identification capabilities in accordance with thischapter, with the rules and regulations of the Federal CommunicationsCommission and of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission and with suchother rules and regulations promulgated by the 9-1-1 authority. Before thePublic Utilities Commission shall grant any license, permit, power, orauthority to operate or shall approve any tariff, rate, or similar compensationmeasure to any telephone common carrier or telecommunication services providerpursuant to title 39 of the general laws, it shall obtain a certificate ofcompliance from the 911 authority, certifying that the telephone common carrieror telecommunication services provider that is seeking such grant or approvalis in compliance with the standards of quality of service, performance ofservice and technological compliance adopted by the 911 authority pursuant tochapter 21 of title 39 of the general laws. No such license, permit, power, orauthority to operate shall be granted or any tariff, rate, or similarcompensation measure be approved until and unless the telephone common carrieror telecommunication service provider is in full compliance with such standards.
(b) The digits "911" shall be the primary emergency telephonenumber within the state.
(c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit ordiscourage the municipalities to maintain separate secondary backup telephonenumbers for emergency and nonemergency telephone calls. Dissemination of theinformation contained in the data base for any other than emergency purpose isprohibited. The 911 emergency telephone number is not intended as a totalreplacement for the telephone service of the public safety agencies. The publicsafety answering point will not use the 911 system for administrative purposes,for placing outgoing calls, or for receiving nonemergency calls.
(d) Any addition to the basic 911 system that may be requiredby any municipality may be made at the municipality's expense, provided thatthe addition is approved by the 911 authority.
(e) The 911 authority and the telephone common carriercontracting with the authority shall not be liable for any inadequate data baseinformation submitted to the 911 authority by the municipality, its agents orservants.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 31 of title 9,the telephone common carrier, its agents and employees, is hereby indemnifiedand held harmless by the 911 authority and the state for civil damages for anyaction or omission in connection with the 911 or E-911 systems unless theaction or omission constitutes gross negligence or wanton and willfulmisconduct.
(f) Any expense incurred by a municipality shall not bedeemed a state mandate pursuant to § 45-13-9.
(g) The telephone common carrier shall not issue or permitthe usage of any three (3) digit telephone number for emergency purposes otherthan the digits "911" as provided in this chapter.
(h) The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, theE 9-1-1 Uniform Emergency Telephone System Authority, local public serviceanswering points, E 9-1-1 service providers, including telephone commoncarriers and telecommunication services providers and their respectiveemployees, directors, officers, representatives or agents shall not be liableto any person for civil damages resulting from or caused by any act or omissionin the development, design, installation, operation, maintenance, performanceor provision of E 9-1-1 service, except to the extent due directly to itswillful misconduct or gross negligence. Also, no provider of E 9-1-1 service,including a telecommunication services provider shall be liable to any personwho uses E 9-1-1 service, for the release of subscriber information, includingbut not limited to, billing information required under this act, to any publicsafety answering point or to the state of Rhode Island or the E 9-1-1 UniformEmergency Telephone System Authority.