(A) A local exchange provider must collect the dual party relay charge established in § 58-9-2530(A) on each local exchange access facility.

(1) For bills rendered on or after the effective date of this section, for any individual local exchange access facility that is capable of simultaneously carrying multiple voice and data transmissions, a subscriber must be billed a number of dual party relay charges equal to:

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 58-9-2535

  • CMRS connection: means each mobile number assigned to a CMRS customer. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Department: means the Department of Revenue. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Exchange access facility: means the access from a particular telephone subscriber's premises to the telephone system of a service supplier. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Local exchange provider: means a local exchange telephone company operating in this State. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Operating fund: means the Dual Party Relay Service Operating Fund which is a specific fund to be created by the commission and established, invested, managed, and maintained for the exclusive purpose of implementing the provisions of this chapter according to commission regulations. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Prepaid wireless consumer: means a person or entity that purchases prepaid wireless telecommunications service in a prepaid wireless retail transaction. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Prepaid wireless provider: means a person or entity that provides prepaid wireless telecommunications service pursuant to a license issued by the Federal Communications Commission. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Prepaid wireless retail transaction: means the purchase of prepaid wireless telecommunications service from a prepaid wireless seller for any purpose other than resale. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Prepaid wireless seller: means a person or entity that sells prepaid wireless telecommunications service to another person or entity for any purpose other than resale. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Prepaid wireless telecommunications service: means any commercial mobile radio service that allows a caller to dial 911 to access the 911 system, which service must be paid for in advance and is sold in units or dollars which decline with use in a known amount. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510
  • Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
  • Subscriber: means any person, company, corporation, business, association, or party who is provided telephone (local exchange access facility) service or CMRS service or VoIP service. See South Carolina Code 58-9-2510

(a) the number of outward voice transmission paths activated on such a facility in cases where the number of activated outward voice transmission paths can be modified by the subscriber only with the assistance of the service supplier; or

(b) five, where the number of activated outward voice transmission paths can be modified by the subscriber without the assistance of the service supplier. The total number of dual party relay charges is subject to a maximum of fifty such charges for each account.

(2) A billed subscriber must be liable for any dual party relay charge imposed under this subsection until it has been paid to the local exchange provider. A local exchange provider has no obligation to take any legal action to enforce the collection of the dual party relay charges for which a subscriber is billed.

(3) Local exchange providers that collect dual party relay charges are entitled to retain two percent of the gross dual party relay charges remitted to the Office of Regulatory Staff as an administrative fee. Within forty-five days after the end of the month during which the charges were collected, each local exchange provider shall file with the Office of Regulatory Staff a return showing the total amount of dual party relay charges collected for the month and, at the same time, shall remit to the Office of Regulatory Staff the charges collected for that month less the administrative fee.

(4) Dual party relay charges imposed under this subsection must be added to the billing by the local exchange provider to its subscriber and may be stated separately.

(B) A CMRS provider must collect the dual party relay charge established in § 58-9-2530(A) for each CMRS connection for which there is a mobile identification number containing an area code assigned to this State by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator; however, trunks or service lines used to supply service to CMRS providers must not be subject to a dual party relay charge. Prepaid wireless telecommunications service is subject to subsection (D) and not to this subsection.

(1) A billed subscriber must be liable for any dual party relay charge imposed under this subsection until it has been paid to the CMRS provider. A CMRS provider has no obligation to take any legal action to enforce the collection of the dual party relay charges for which a subscriber is billed.

(2) CMRS providers that collect dual party relay charges are entitled to retain two percent of the gross dual party relay charges remitted to the department as an administrative fee. On or before the twentieth day of the second month succeeding each monthly collection of the dual party relay charges, every CMRS provider shall file with the department a return under oath, in a form prescribed by the department, showing the total amount of charges collected for the month and, at the same time, shall remit to the department the fees collected for that month. The department shall transfer all charges remitted to the operating fund.

(3) Dual party relay charges imposed under this subsection must be added to the billing by the CMRS provider to its subscriber and may be stated separately.

(C) A VoIP provider must collect the dual party relay charge established in § 58-9-2530(A) on each VoIP service line. This dual party relay charge must be sourced at the service address in the case of fixed VoIP service, or in the same manner as CMRS is sourced pursuant to the Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act, Public Law 106-252, codified at 4 U.S.C. Sections 116 through 126.

(1) A billed subscriber must be liable for any dual party relay charge imposed under this subsection until it has been paid to the VoIP provider. A VoIP provider has no obligation to take any legal action to enforce the collection of the dual party relay charges for which a subscriber is billed. For bills rendered on or after the effective date of this section, for any VoIP service line that is capable of simultaneously carrying multiple voice and data transmissions, a VoIP subscriber must be billed a number of dual party relay charges equal to:

(a) the number of outward voice transmission paths activated on such a VoIP service line in cases where the number of activated outward voice transmission paths can be modified by the subscriber only with the assistance of the VoIP provider; or

(b) five, where the number of activated outward voice transmission paths can be modified by the subscriber without the assistance of the VoIP provider. The total number of dual party relay charges is subject to a maximum of fifty such charges for each account.

(2) VoIP providers that collect dual party relay charges are entitled to retain two percent of the gross dual party relay charges remitted to the department as an administrative fee. On or before the twentieth day of the second month succeeding each monthly collection of the dual party relay charges, each VoIP provider shall file with the department a return under oath, in a form prescribed by the department, showing the total amount of dual party relay charges collected for the month and, at the same time, shall remit to the department the charges collected for that month less the administrative fee. The department shall transfer all charges remitted to the operating fund.

(3) Dual party relay charges imposed under this subsection must be added to the billing by the VoIP provider to its subscriber and may be stated separately.

(D) A prepaid wireless seller must collect the dual party relay charge established in § 58-9-2530(A) from a prepaid wireless consumer with respect to each prepaid wireless retail transaction occurring in this State. The amount of the dual party relay charge either must be separately stated on an invoice, receipt, or other similar document that is provided to the prepaid wireless consumer by the prepaid wireless seller; or otherwise disclosed to the prepaid wireless consumer. At the election of the prepaid wireless seller, the dual party relay charge may be combined with the USF contribution charge described in § 58-9-280(E)(2)(b) into a single dual party relay and USF contribution charge for purposes of being stated on the invoice, receipt or other similar document or otherwise disclosed to the prepaid wireless consumer. The prepaid wireless seller shall notify the department as to how much of the amount remitted is for dual party relay and how much of the amount remitted is for USF.

(1) For the purposes of this subsection, a prepaid wireless retail transaction must be sourced as provided in § 12-36-910(B)(5)(b).

(2) The dual party relay charge is the liability of the prepaid wireless consumer and not the prepaid wireless seller or of any prepaid wireless provider. However, the prepaid wireless seller is liable for remitting all dual party relay charges that the prepaid wireless seller collects from prepaid wireless consumers as provided in this subsection to the department.

(3) A prepaid wireless seller is entitled to retain three percent of the gross dual party relay charges remitted to the department as an administrative fee. A prepaid wireless seller must remit the remainder of the dual party relay charges collected to the department on or before the twentieth day of the second month succeeding each monthly collection of the dual party relay charges. The department shall transfer all charges remitted to the operating fund.

(4) The department shall establish procedures by which a prepaid wireless seller may document that a sale is not a prepaid wireless retail transaction, which procedures shall substantially coincide with the procedures for documenting sale for resale transactions pursuant to § 12-36-950.

(E) If a billed subscriber purchases a service that is both a CMRS service and a VoIP service, and there is a single active mobile telephone number or successor dialing protocol associated with the service, then only the CMRS dual party relay charges that are subject to subsection (B) apply to the service. Similarly, if an exchange access facility is also a VoIP service line, then only the dual party relay charges that are subject to subsection (A) shall apply to the service.

(F) For services for which a bill is rendered prior to the effective date of this subsection, no subscriber or consumer is liable to any person or entity for a different dual party relay charge than the consumer or subscriber has been billed, and no local exchange provider, CMRS provider, VoIP provider, prepaid wireless provider, or prepaid wireless seller is liable to any person or entity for billing, collecting, or remitting a different dual party relay charge than is required by this article, or both.

(G) Neither the State, any political subdivision of the State, nor an intergovernmental agency may require any service provider to impose, collect, or remit a tax, fee, surcharge, or other charge for dual party relay funding purposes other than the dual party relay charges set forth in this article.

(H) The dual party relay charge required to be remitted to the department must be administered and collected by the department in the same manner as taxes as defined in § 12-60-30 (27) are administered and collected by the department under the provisions of Title 12.