4901:1-6-20. Discounts for persons with communications disabilities

(A) In accordance with section 4927.14 of the Revised Code, telephone companies that provide toll service shall, upon written application and certification of their disabled status by a residential disabled customer or a disabled member of a customer's household, offer one of the following applicable discounts to persons with communication disabilities:

(1) No less than a straight seventy per cent discount off the basic message toll service (MTS) current price list day rates on a twenty-four hour a day basis.

(2) A forty per cent discount off the intrastate, interexchange, customer-dialed, station-to-station calls occurring between eight a.m. and four fifty-nine p.m. Monday to Friday; a sixty per cent discount off of the intrastate, interexchange, customer-dialed, station-to-station calls occurring between five p.m. and ten fifty-nine p.m. Sunday to Friday, and New Year's day, Independence day, Labor day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; and a seventy per cent discount off the intrastate, interexchange, customer-dialed, station-to-station calls occurring between eleven p.m. and seven fifty-nine a.m. any day; and eight a.m. and four fifty-nine p.m. Sunday, and all day Saturday.

(3) For MTS which is offered similar to the mileage-banded rate structure established in the commission's April 9, 1985 opinion and order in case No. 84-944-TP-COI, with the traditional day, evening, and night/weekend discounts: the "evening" discount off the intrastate, interexchange, customer-dialed, station-to-station calls placed during the "day" period Monday to Friday; and the "night/weekend" discount off the intrastate, interexchange, customer-dialed, station-to-station calls placed during the "evening" period Sunday to Friday, New Year's day, Independence day, Labor day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Furthermore, the "night/weekend" discount plus an additional discount equivalent to no less than ten per cent of the company's current price list day rates for basic MTS shall be made available for intrastate, interexchange, customer-dialed, station-to-station calls placed during the "night/weekend" period any day, the "day" period Sunday, and all day Saturday.

(B) Certification of disabled status can be evidenced by either a certificate from a physician, health care official, state agency, or diploma from an accredited educational institution for the disabled.

(C) The aforementioned discounts are also applicable to all MTS and directory assistance calls placed through the telecommunications relay service. The discounts shall not apply to sponsor charges associated with calls placed to pay-per-call services, such as 900, 976, or 900-like calls. Additionally, certified disabled individuals who utilize telebraille devices are eligible to receive free access to local and intrastate long distance directory assistance. Lines maintained by nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies are also eligible to receive a discount off of their MTS rates upon written application and verification that such lines are maintained for the benefit of the disabled.

Replaces: 4901:1-6-05

Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 3/2/2018 and 03/02/2023
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 4901.13, 4927.03, 4927.14
Rule Amplifies: 4927.14 , 4927.15
Prior Effective Dates: 4/8/03, 9/18/07, 1/20/11

Prior History: (Effective: 01/20/2011
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 11/30/2015
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 4901.13, 4927.03
Rule Amplifies: 4927.14
Prior Effective Dates: 4/8/03, 9/18/07 )