Press Release

HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today approved the telephone charges residents in five counties must pay for the local 911 systems.

Clinton County, a seventh-class county, is not requesting a change in the current contribution rate of $1.50 per telephone line per month. The county has a population of approximately 34,914. Verizon, Sprint/United and Sugar Valley Telephone Company serve the county.

Clarion County, a sixth-class county, is not requesting a change in the current contribution rate of $1.50 per telephone line per month. The county has a population of approximately 41,755. Verizon, Sprint/United, ALLTEL and Venus Telephone Corporation serve the county

Warren County, a sixth-class county, has made its initial request to charge $1.50 per telephone line per month. The county has a population of approximately 43,863. Verizon, Verizon North, ALLTEL and Fairpoint Communications serve the county.

Potter County, an eighth-class county, is not requesting a change in the current contribution rate of $1.50 per telephone line per month. The county has a population of approximately 18,080. Verizon, Verizon North, Frontier Communications, Adelphia Business Solutions, AT&T Communications, Vartec Telecom, Spectrotel, NOS Communications, Metro-Teleconnect and Excel Telecommunications serve the county.

Chester County, a third-class county, has not requested any change in the current contribution rate of $1.25 per telephone line per month. The county has a population of approximately 433,501. Verizon, Commonwealth Telephone and Conestoga Telephone and Telegraph Company serve the county.

The Public Safety Emergency Telephone Act of 1990 provides for a statewide 911 emergency communication systems to be administered by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). The law allows counties to recover the cost for 911 systems by assessing a fee on every telephone line.

Local phone companies collect the fees for the county. The maximum fee that can be collected per telephone line is $1 for first- and second-class counties; $1.25 for third- through fifth-class counties; and $1.50 for sixth- through eighth-class counties.

The PUC reviews the contribution rates requested by the county to make sure they do not exceed the allowable amount. The PUC then forwards a decision to PEMA. The PUC has 90 days to submit its recommendations to PEMA as to whether the counties proposed contribution rates should be approved or modified. The plan and the surcharge are effective from the date of the PUC order for a period of three years.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ensures safe, reliable and reasonably priced electric, natural gas, water, telephone and transportation service for Pennsylvania consumers, by regulating public utilities and by serving as responsible stewards of competition.