2005 Minnesota Statutes

     237.491 Combined per number fee. 

    Subdivision 1.    Definitions.  (a) The definitions in 
 this subdivision apply to this section. 

    (b) "911 emergency and public safety communications program"
 means the program governed by chapter 403. 

    (c) "Minnesota telephone number" means a ten-digit 
 telephone number being used to connect to the public switched 
 telephone network and starting with area code 218, 320, 507, 
 612, 651, 763, or 952, or any subsequent area code assigned to 
 this state. 

    (d) "Service provider" means a provider doing business in 
 this state who provides real time, two-way voice service with a 
 Minnesota telephone number.  

    (e) "Telecommunications access Minnesota program" means the 
 program governed by sections 237.50 to 237.55. 

    (f) "Telephone assistance program" means the program 
 governed by sections 237.69 to 237.711. 

    Subd. 2.    Per number fee.  (a) By January 15, 2006, 
 the commissioner of commerce shall report to the legislature and 
 to the senate Committee on Jobs, Energy and Community 
 Development and the house Committee on Regulated Industries, 
 recommendations for the amount of and method for assessing a fee 
 that would apply to each service provider based upon the number 
 of Minnesota telephone numbers in use by current customers of 
 the service provider.  The fee would be set at a level 
 calculated to generate only the amount of revenue necessary to 
 fund: 

    (1) the telephone assistance program and the 
 telecommunications access Minnesota program at the levels 
 established by the commission under sections 237.52, subdivision 
 2, and 237.70; and 

    (2) the 911 emergency and public safety communications 
 program at the levels appropriated by law to the commissioner of 
 public safety and the commissioner of finance for purposes of 
 sections 403.11, 403.113, 403.27, 403.30, and 403.31 for each 
 fiscal year. 

    (b) The recommendations must include any changes to 
 Minnesota Statutes necessary to establish the procedures whereby 
 each service provider, to the extent allowed under federal law, 
 would collect and remit the fee proceeds to the commissioner of 
 revenue.  The commissioner of revenue would allocate the fee 
 proceeds to the three funding areas in paragraph (a) and credit 
 the allocations to the appropriate accounts. 

    (c) The recommendations must be designed to allow the 
 combined per telephone number fee to be collected beginning July 
 1, 2006.  The per access line fee used to collect revenues to 
 support the TAP, TAM, and 911 programs remains in effect until 
 the statutory changes necessary to implement the per telephone 
 number fee have been enacted into law and taken effect.  

    (d) As part of the process of developing the 
 recommendations and preparing the report to the legislature 
 required under paragraph (a), the commissioner of commerce must, 
 at a minimum, consult regularly with the Departments of Public 
 Safety, Finance, and Administration, the Public Utilities 
 Commission, service providers, the chairs and ranking minority 
 members of the senate and house committees, subcommittees, and 
 divisions having jurisdiction over telecommunications and public 
 safety, and other affected parties. 

    HIST: 2005 c 136 art 10 s 1; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 4 s 57