1. The department shall establish and administer a program to provide telecommunications relay service to persons who are communications impaired.

    2.    The program shall provide a telecommunications relay service to allow persons who are communications impaired to communicate via the telecommunications network with noncommunications-impaired persons.

3. The department of health and human services shall furnish specialized telecommunications equipment to meet the needs of individuals who are communications impaired and who might be otherwise disadvantaged in their ability to obtain such equipment. The department of health and human services shall determine eligibility and may provide the specialized telecommunications equipment to individuals determined eligible within the limits of funding made available to the department of health and human services through gifts and grants received under section 54-44.8-06 and from funding made available by the information technology department from the surcharge collected pursuant to section 54-44.8-08, which are appropriated.