State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Division of Public Utilities and Carriers
December 7, 1998

IN RE: The Billing of Monthly Telephone Relay Cost by Competitive Local Exchange Carriers

Pursuant to the Rhode Island General Law Chapter 39-1-42, the Public Utilities Commission was mandated to (a) establish, administer, and promote a statewide dual party telephone relay service and to (b) establish, by rule or regulation, an appropriate funding mechanism to recover the costs of providing this service to the general body of rate payers.

On July 23, 1992 in R.I.P.U.C. Docket No. 2046, the Commission ordered the assessment of a monthly relay surcharge to be $0.10 for each telephone access line in the state of Rhode Island. After a review of the status of funding for the Rhode Island TDD Program, the Public Utilities Commission voted on March 24, 1998 to reduce the surcharge of $0.10 per month per access line by one cent to 9 cents ($0.09), effective May 1, 1998. The costs associated with the relay service are to be recovered by each local exchange carrier. The monthly surcharge should be established as a separate line item on the monthly statement of telephone customers.

With the advent of competition in the local exchange market in Rhode Island, it is required that all carriers providing local telephone service be required to bill its customers the relay surcharge and remit monthly the amount (payable) to the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, in care of Charles Brown at 89 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888. Phone (401)941-4500 Fax. (401)941-9248.

Please note:

There have been some questions concerning the appropriate surcharge for PBX trunks. The monthly relay assessment for a PBX trunk should be one $0.09 surcharge for each trunk. Each centrex station line is billed one-eighth of the current rate of $0.09. The current monthly relay surcharge is $0.09 for each telephone access line in the state of Rhode Island.