(a) Every public safety answering point shall be eligible to seek disbursements from the fund to pay for the reasonable costs to lease, purchase, or maintain all necessary equipment, including computer hardware, software, and database provisioning, required by the public safety answering point to provide technical functionality for the enhanced 911 service. Reasonable costs may include expenses directly associated with the planning phases and training of personnel in any new and emerging technologies involving enhanced 911. All other expenses necessary to operate the public safety answering point, including but not limited to those expenses related to overhead, staffing, and other day-to-day operational expenses, shall continue to be paid through the general funding of the respective counties.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 138-5

  • Board: means the enhanced 911 board established under this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 138-1
  • Communications service: means a service capable of accessing, connecting with, or interfacing with a 911 system, by dialing, initializing, or otherwise activating the 911 system by means of a local telephone device, commercial mobile radio service device, Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol device, indirect communication through a service bureau or call relay service, such as alarm companies, or any other means. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 138-1
  • Communications service provider: means an entity that provides communications service to a subscriber. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 138-1
  • fund: means the special fund established by section 138-3. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 138-1
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Public safety answering point: means the public safety agency that receives incoming 911 calls and dispatches appropriate public safety agencies to respond to those calls. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 138-1
(b) Every public safety answering point shall be eligible to seek disbursements from the fund to pay for the reasonable costs associated with having representatives, other than board members, on board committees, including established and investigative committees.
(c) Each communications service provider may request reimbursement from the fund of enhanced 911 service costs incurred; provided that the costs:

(1) Are recoverable under section 138-4(d); and
(2) Have not already been reimbursed to the communications service provider from the fund.

In no event shall a communications service provider be reimbursed for any amount above its actual enhanced 911 communications service costs allowed to be recovered under section 138-4(d).

(d) Every communications service provider may seek disbursements from the fund to pay for the reasonable costs associated with having representatives, other than board members, on board committees, including established and investigative committees.
(e) After the expenses of the board are paid, the public safety answering points shall be allocated two-thirds of the remaining balance of the fund. The remaining one-third shall be available for communications service provider cost recovery. The board shall determine the reimbursement amounts for the public safety answering points, based on the limitations set forth in section 138-5(a). The reimbursement level for each communications service provider shall be limited:

(1) To one-third of the total contribution made by the individual communications service provider into the fund; provided that this method of direct reimbursement shall not be available to the provider of wire line enhanced 911; and
(2) As provided in subsection (c).