The corporation shall develop and implement processes to:

1. (1) maintain a registration of:

   1. (A) notification centers as provided by Section 251.101(a)(3);
   2. (B) operators who elect to convert facilities to Class A facilities under Section 251.005(a); or
   3. (C) operators who elect to become Class A underground facility operators under Section 251.005(b);
2. (2) establish minimum technical standards used by notification centers;
3. (3) establish a statewide toll-free telephone number to be used by excavators that incorporates the use of a call router system that routes calls to the notification centers on a pro rata basis;
4. (4) oversee the bid process and select the vendor for the statewide toll-free telephone number;
5. (5) oversee the bid process and select the vendor for the call router system;

6. (6) determine before May 1 of each year the cost-sharing between the notification centers of:

   1. (A) the toll-free telephone number; and
   2. (B) the call router system prescribed by Section 251.102(4);
7. (7) develop public service announcements to educate the public about statewide one-call notification and its availability;
8. (8) establish a format for information transfer among notification centers other than high speed data transmission, if appropriate;
9. (9) on a complaint concerning charges, investigate and determine appropriate charges;
10. (10) recommend a civil penalty against a notification center that does not meet the requirements of this chapter of not less than $1,000 or more than $5,000 for each violation;
11. (11) refer the recommended penalty to the attorney general, who shall institute a suit in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover the penalty;
12. (12) assist in dispute resolution among notification centers or between a notification center and an operator;
13. (13) assist any operator who encounters difficulty in joining a notification center; and
14. (14) review and study design standards for the placement of underground facilities throughout this state.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, Sec. 18.17(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1999.