As used in this article:

1. (1) "Commission" means the Public Service Commission.
2. (2) "Deaf person" means an individual who is unable to hear and understand oral communication, with or without the assistance of amplification devices.
3. (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.
4. (4) "Dual sensory impaired person" means an individual who is deaf/blind or has both a permanent hearing impairment and a permanent visual impairment.
5. (5) "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.
6. (6) "Hearing impaired person" means a person who is deaf or hard of hearing.
7. (7) "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.
8. (8) "Regulatory staff" means the executive director or the executive director and the employees of the Office of Regulatory Staff.
9. (9) "Speech impaired person" means an individual who has suffered a loss of oral communication ability which prohibits normal use of a standard telephone handset.
10. (10) "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.

Editor's Note

1990 Act No. 488, Section 1, eff May 30, 1990, provides as follows:

"The General Assembly finds:

"(1) that telephone service provides a rapid and essential communications link among the general public and with essential offices and organizations such as police, fire, and medical facilities;.

"(2) that all persons should have basic telephone service available to them at a just and reasonable rate;.

"(3) that a significant portion of South Carolina's hearing and speech impaired population has profound disabilities which render normal telephone equipment useless without additional specialized devices; and.

"(4) that there exists a need for a program in which access to basic telephone service for hearing and speech impaired persons is equal in cost to the amount paid by other telephone customers."