As used in this article:
- (1) "Commission" means the Public Service Commission.
- (2) "Deaf person" means an individual who is unable to hear and understand oral communication, with or without the assistance of amplification devices.
(3) "Dual party relay system" or "DPR" means a procedure in which a deaf, hearing, or speech impaired TDD user can communicate with an intermediary party, who then orally relays the first party's message or request to a third party, or a procedure in which a party who is not deaf or hearing or speech impaired can communicate with an intermediary party who then relays the message or request to a TDD user.
(3.5) "Dual sensory impaired person" means an individual who is deaf/blind or has both a permanent hearing impairment and a permanent visual impairment.
- (4) "Hard of hearing person" means an individual who has suffered a permanent hearing loss which is severe enough to necessitate the use of amplification devices to hear oral communication.
- (5) "Hearing impaired person" means a person who is deaf or hard of hearing.
- (6) "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.
- (7) "Regulatory staff" means the executive director or the executive director and the employees of the Office of Regulatory Staff.
- (8) "Speech impaired person" means an individual who has suffered a loss of oral communication ability which prohibits normal use of a standard telephone handset.
- (9) "Telecommunications device" or " telecommunications device for the deaf, hearing, or speech impaired" or "TDD" or "TTY" means a keyboard mechanism attached to or in place of a standard telephone by some coupling device used to transmit or receive signals through telephone lines.
HISTORY: 1990 Act No. 488, Section 2, eff May 30, 1990; 1996 Act No. 426, Sections 14A and 14B, eff June 18, 1996; 2006 Act No. 318, Section 71, eff May 24, 2006.