Details

WHEREAS access to telephone service is critical during medical emergencies;

AND WHEREAS priority must be given to rural residents living outside of cell phone coverage areas when service to telephone land lines is disrupted, as this is their only means of contacting emergency services:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that NCLGA and the UBCM lobby the Provincial and Federal Governments to require that telephone service providers restore service to those customers without access to cell phone coverage on an emergency basis, in the event of a telephone service disruption.

Additional Information

UBCM Comments: The UBCM membership has not previously considered a resolution calling on the provincial and federal governments to require, in the event of land line telephone service disruption, telephone service providers to prioritize the restoration of land line service for customers without access to cell phone coverage.

UBCM would note that members endorsed a related resolution, 2013-B65, which request the provincial government to ensure that cell phone infrastructure is in place in order to provide timely emergency response if land line telephone transmission is disrupted.