Resolve, Concerning the Collection of the Statewide E-9-1-1 Surcharge from Prepaid Wireless Telephone Service

Sec. 1. Prepaid wireless stakeholder group. Resolved: That the Public Utilities Commission shall form and participate in a stakeholder group to define an appropriate amount of and means of collecting and remitting an E-9-1-1 surcharge under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, chapter 352 on prepaid wireless telephone service. The stakeholder group must include a representative of the Emergency Services Communication Bureau within the commission and a representative of the Office of the Public Advocate. The commission shall also invite participation by representatives of providers of prepaid wireless telephone service that do not also provide post-paid wireless telephone service, providers of post-paid wireless telephone service that also offer prepaid wireless telephone service, national retail store chains that sell prepaid wireless telephone service offered by service providers, local businesses that sell prepaid wireless telephone service offered by service providers and any other entities the commission believes should be included to ensure adequate and appropriate stakeholder representation; and be it further

Sec. 2. Issues examined. Resolved: That the stakeholder group shall consider ways of calculating the E-9-1-1 surcharge to achieve reasonable equivalency with the surcharge imposed on other telecommunications services and means of collecting the surcharge that are competitively neutral, but the stakeholder group may consider and examine any means of collecting and remitting the surcharge that it determines appropriate.

The stakeholder group shall consider costs, flexibility, efficiencies and enforcement of the means of collecting and remitting the surcharge from the perspective of the commission, service providers, retailers and end users; and be it further

Sec. 3. Report; authority to report out legislation. Resolved: That the Public Utilities Commission shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters by January 1, 2007 the results of and recommendations produced by the stakeholder group. The report must include suggested legislation to implement any recommendations of the stakeholder group. If the stakeholder group fails to reach agreement or if for any other reason the commission determines it appropriate to provide its own separate recommendations on the subject matter of this resolve, the commission may include its own analysis and recommendations in the report, including any suggested legislation to implement its recommendations.

The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters may report out legislation relating to the subject matter of this resolve to the First Regular Session of the 123rd Legislature.