34Charging emergency service organisations

34 Charging emergency service organisations

(1) Subject to subsection (2), a carriage service provider must not charge an emergency service organisation, or arrange for an emergency service organisation to be charged, directly or indirectly, for any of the following services: (a) a carriage service used to connect calls using an emergency service number; (b) a carriage service used to transfer such calls to an emergency service organisation; or (c) a carriage service used to give information in relation to such calls to an emergency service organisation. (2) However, the provider may charge an emergency service organisation, or arrange for it to be charged, for a service mentioned in subsection (1) if: (a) the emergency service organisation agrees with the provider for the service to be supplied at a level significantly higher than the level of service provided to most emergency service organisations; and (b) the provider’s charge for the service relates only to the higher level of service.

Note: Examples: Methods used to provide significantly higher levels of service include:

(a) network based queueing facilities;
(b) capabilities for multiple site call splaying and overflow; and
(c) redundancy lines.