3. Communications equipment plan. The Division of Deafness shall develop a plan to make specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment available to deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities and to distribute money from the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund. The plan must be developed by the Division of Deafness annually, not later than January 1st, in accordance with the rule-making procedures in Title 5, chapter 375. The plan must provide for the expenditure of money from the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund for the benefit of deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities for the purchase, lease, distribution, upgrading, installation, maintenance and repair of specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment capable of serving their needs and may provide for expenditures for training in the use of such equipment. Persons who are profoundly deaf or speech impaired speech-impaired or who have a disability so that they are unable to use the telephone for expressive or receptive communications, as verified by a written report from an otologist, an audiologist or a physician, are eligible for assistance from the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund. The plan must ensure that persons with disabilities have access to appropriate specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment to meet their individual needs. The plan must include specific criteria that govern the priorities assigned to various persons who need this equipment. The criteria must take into account household income, degree of impairment, need for emergency communications, living arrangements and other factors determined relevant by the Division of Deafness. In developing the criteria, the Division of Deafness shall consult with the advisory council established in section 1413-C and other advisory councils representing the interests of persons with disabilities.

4. Specialized customer communications equipment needs in the public school system. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and advocacy groups for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons and for the information technology interests of consumers, shall conduct an annual survey of all public schools in the State for the purpose of assessing the need for specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment in the school system and report its findings to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters. The report must include: