CHAPTER 518a
EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS

      Sec. 28-24. Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications. Enhanced 9-1-1 system. Funding. (a) There is established an Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications which shall be within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications shall be responsible for developing and maintaining a state-wide emergency service telecommunications policy. In connection with said policy, the office shall:

      (1) Develop a state-wide emergency service telecommunications plan specifying emergency police, fire and medical service telecommunications systems needed to provide coordinated emergency service telecommunications to all state residents, including the physically disabled;

      (2) Pursuant to the recommendations of the task force established by public act 95-318* to study enhanced 9-1-1 telecommunications services, and in accordance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, develop and administer, by July 1, 1997, an enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program, which shall provide for: (A) The replacement of existing 9-1-1 terminal equipment for each public safety answering point; (B) the subsidization of regional public safety emergency telecommunications centers, with enhanced subsidization for municipalities with a population in excess of forty thousand; (C) the establishment of a transition grant program to encourage regionalization of public safety telecommunications centers; and (D) the establishment of a regional emergency telecommunications service credit in order to support regional dispatch services;

      (3) Provide technical telecommunications assistance to state and local police, fire and emergency medical service agencies;

      (4) Provide frequency coordination for such agencies;

      (5) Coordinate and assist in state-wide planning for 9-1-1 and E 9-1-1 systems;

      (6) Review and make recommendations concerning proposed legislation affecting emergency service telecommunications; and

      (7) Review and make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning emergency service telecommunications funding.

      (b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, establishing eligibility standards for state financial assistance to local or regional police, fire and emergency medical service agencies providing emergency service telecommunications. Not later than April 1, 1997, the commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, in order to carry out the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section.

      (c) Within a time period determined by the commissioner to ensure the availability of funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, to the regional public safety emergency telecommunications centers within the state, and not later than April first of each year thereafter, the commissioner shall determine the amount of funding needed for the development and administration of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program. The commissioner shall specify the expenses associated with (1) the purchase, installation and maintenance of new public safety answering point terminal equipment, (2) the implementation of the subsidy program, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, (3) the implementation of the transition grant program, described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, (4) the implementation of the regional emergency telecommunications service credit, as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, provided, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, such credit for coordinated medical emergency direction services as provided in regulations adopted under this section shall be based upon the factor of thirty cents per capita and shall not be reduced each year, (5) the training of personnel, as necessary, (6) recurring expenses and future capital costs associated with the telecommunications network used to provide emergency 9-1-1 service and the public safety services data networks, (7) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the collection, maintenance and reporting of emergency medical services data, as required under subparagraph (A) of subdivision (8) of section 19a-177, provided the amount of expenses specified under this subdivision shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars in any fiscal year, (8) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the initial training of emergency medical dispatch personnel, the provision of an emergency medical dispatch priority reference card set and emergency medical dispatch training and continuing education pursuant to subdivisions (3) and (4) of subsection (g) of section 28-25b, and (9) the administration of the enhanced emergency 9-1-1 program by the Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications, as the commissioner determines to be reasonably necessary. The commissioner shall communicate the commissioner's findings to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority not later than April first of each year.

      (d) The office may apply for, receive and distribute any federal funds available for emergency service telecommunications. The office shall deposit such federal funds in the Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund established by section 28-30a.

      (e) The office shall work in cooperation with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to carry out the purposes of this section.

      (P.A. 81-458, S. 1, 4; P.A. 82-87, S. 1, 2; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12, S. 4, 10; P.A. 93-206, S. 5, 16; P.A. 96-150, S. 1, 5; P.A. 00-151, S. 6, 14; P.A. 05-181, S. 1; P.A. 06-196, S. 157; P.A. 11-51, S. 105, 164; 11-80, S. 1, 85; 11-242, S. 36.)

      *Note: P.A. 95-318 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified, but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

      History: P.A. 82-87 amended Subsec. (a) by changing the office of state-wide emergency telecommunications to a bureau within the department of administrative services; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that bureau be within department of public safety in lieu of department of administrative services for administrative purposes only and to eliminate the position of administrator, redesignated Subsec. (a)(7) as Subsec. (b) and required public safety commissioner to adopt regulations in lieu of administrator, and relettered Subsecs. (b) and (c) as Subsecs. (c) and (d), respectively, substituting bureau for administrator; P.A. 93-206 amended section to substitute office of state-wide emergency telecommunications for bureau and amended Subsec. (a) to require said office to be in division of fire, emergency and building services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-150 added detailed provisions re implementing enhanced 9-1-1 program in new Subsecs. (a)(2) and (c), renumbering and relettering prior provisions as necessary and added provision in Subsec. (d) re deposit of federal funds in Enhanced 9-1-1 Telecommunications Fund, effective May 31, 1996; P.A. 00-151 amended Subsec. (c) by making technical changes and adding provisions re calculation of coordinated medical emergency direction services credit, funding for emergency medical services data collection and reporting, and funding for emergency medical dispatch, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 05-181 amended Subsec. (a)(2)(B) to substitute 40,000 for 70,000, amended Subsec. (c)(4) to substitute $0.30 per capita for $0.15 per capita, and amended Subsec. (c)(6) to include reference to the public safety services data networks, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(5), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 11-51 amended Subsec. (a) to delete references to the office being within Division of Fire, Emergency and Building Services within the Department of Public Safety and to place the office within Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and changed "Commissioner of Public Safety" to "Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection" in Subsecs. (a)(2) and (b), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-80 changed "chairperson of the Public Utilities Control Authority" to "Public Utilities Regulatory Authority" in Subsec. (c) and changed "Department of Public Utility Control" to "Public Utilities Regulatory Authority" in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-242 eliminated reference to Sec. 19a-177(8)(B) in Subsec. (c)(7).

      Sec. 28-28a. Provision of subscriber information: Permitted purposes; confidentiality; agreement. Immunity from liability. (a) A telephone company or voice over Internet protocol service provider, as defined in section 28-30b, shall forward to any public safety answering point or other answering point equipped for enhanced 9-1-1 service the telephone number and street address of any telephone used to place a 9-1-1 call, provided a voice over Internet protocol service provider shall be in compliance with this subsection if the provider complies with the requirements for forwarding such information contained in 47 CFR 9 and this chapter, provided the provisions of this chapter are not addressed by, or are not inconsistent with, federal law or regulations regarding the provision of enhanced 9-1-1 service in the state of Connecticut. Subscriber information provided in accordance with this subsection shall be used only for the following purposes: (1) Responding to emergency calls, (2) investigating false or intentionally misleading reports of incidents requiring emergency service, or (3) enabling emergency notification systems. Subscriber information collected in accordance with subdivision (3) of this subsection shall be used only in case of an emergency. Subscriber information provided pursuant to this subsection and any subscriber information or any telephone number, mailing address or electronic mail address provided to the state in order for the state to use such information in connection with an emergency notification system shall be confidential and shall not be subject to disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200.

      (b) Each month, the provider of the enhanced 9-1-1 service database shall provide to the Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications an electronic copy of the current subscriber information maintained in the enhanced 9-1-1 service database. The office shall make such subscriber information available to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and to each public safety answering point pursuant to a memorandum of understanding consistent with the provisions of this section. Each public safety answering point that has entered into such a memorandum of understanding shall make such subscriber information available to one or more of the municipalities within the public safety answering point's jurisdiction at such a municipality's request.

      (c) On or before October 1, 2009, the enhanced 9-1-1 service database provider and the Office of State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications shall enter into an agreement regarding the provision of the enhanced 9-1-1 service database information in accordance with subsection (b) of this section, including, but not limited to, payment for the costs incurred by the provider of the enhanced 9-1-1 service database in connection with the compilation of the enhanced 9-1-1 service database information.

      (d) No telephone company or its agents and no voice over Internet protocol service provider or its agents shall be liable to any person or entity for release of the information specified in this section, or for any failure of equipment or procedure in connection with the enhanced 9-1-1 service or an emergency notification system established under sections 28-25 to 28-29b, inclusive.

      (P.A. 84-416, S. 8, 15; P.A. 90-230, S. 46, 101; P.A. 07-106, S. 5; P.A. 09-86, S. 2; P.A. 11-22, S. 1; 11-51, S. 134.)

      History: P.A. 90-230 deleted internal references; P.A. 07-106 required voice over Internet protocol service providers to comply with section, provided them immunity from liability and added provision re providers' compliance with federal law, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 09-86 designated existing provisions as Subsecs. (a) and (d), amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. designators (1) and (2), add Subdiv. (3) re enabling emergency notification systems, and add provision exempting subscriber information from disclosure under Freedom of Information Act, added Subsecs. (b) and (c) re current subscriber information, amended Subsec. (d) to expand immunity from liability to include release or failure concerning an emergency notification system, and made conforming and technical changes, effective July 1, 2009; P.A. 11-22 amended Subsec. (a) to allow subscriber information collected for an emergency notification system to be used in any emergency and to exempt such information from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, "Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection" in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011.

      Sec. 28-29a. E 9-1-1 Commission. There is established an E 9-1-1 Commission to advise the office in the planning, design, implementation and coordination of the state-wide emergency 9-1-1 telephone system to be created pursuant to sections 28-25, 28-25a, 28-25b, 28-26, 28-27, 28-27a, 28-28, 28-28a, 28-28b, 28-29 and 28-29b. The commission shall be appointed by the Governor and shall consist of the following members: (1) One representative from the technical support services unit of the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection; (2) the State Fire Administrator; (3) one representative from the Office of Emergency Medical Services; (4) one representative from the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection; (5) one municipal police chief; (6) one municipal fire chief; (7) one volunteer fireman; (8) one representative of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities; (9) one representative of the Council of Small Towns; (10) one representative of telecommunicators, as defined in section 28-30; (11) one representative of the public; (12) one manager or coordinator of 9-1-1 public safety answering points serving areas of differing population concentration; and (13) one representative of providers of commercial mobile radio services, as defined in 47 Code of Federal Regulations 20.3, as amended. Each member shall serve for a term of three years from the date of his or her appointment or until a successor has been appointed and qualified. No member of the commission shall receive compensation for such member's services.

      (P.A. 84-416, S. 12, 15; P.A. 88-135, S. 8; P.A. 90-230, S. 48, 101; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12, S. 7, 10; P.A. 93-206, S. 12, 16; P.A. 99-92; P.A. 04-219, S. 22; P.A. 11-11, S. 1; 11-51, S. 165.)

      History: P.A. 88-135 substituted office of "emergency management" for office of "civil preparedness" in Subdiv. (4); P.A. 90-230 revised internal section references; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12 required commission to "advise" bureau in lieu of "oversee"; P.A. 93-206 substituted "office" for "bureau", effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 99-92 added one manager or coordinator of 9-1-1 public safety answering point and one representative of providers of commercial mobile radio services as members; P.A. 04-219 amended Subdiv. (4) to substitute Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for Office of Emergency Management, effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 11-11 added representative of telecommunicators and representative of the public as members, amended members' terms to run from date of a member's appointment instead of from July 1, 1984, and made technical changes; P.A. 11-51 replaced "Department of Public Safety" with "Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection" and replaced "Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security" with "Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection", effective July 1, 2011.