NRS244A.7643. Surcharge: Imposition; master plan required in certain counties; amount; collection; penalties for delinquent payment.

      1.  Except as otherwise provided in this section, the board of county commissioners in a county whose population is 100,000 or more but less than 700,000 may by ordinance, for the enhancement of the telephone system for reporting an emergency in the county, impose a surcharge on:

      (a) Each access line or trunk line of each customer to the local exchange of any telecommunications provider providing those lines in the county; and

      (b) The mobile telephone service provided to each customer of that service whose place of primary use is in the county.

      2.  Except as otherwise provided in this section, the board of county commissioners in a county whose population is less than 100,000 may by ordinance, for the enhancement or improvement of the telephone system for reporting an emergency in the county, impose a surcharge on:

      (a) Each access line or trunk line of each customer to the local exchange of any telecommunications provider providing those lines in the county; and

      (b) The mobile telephone service provided to each customer of that service whose place of primary use is in the county.

      3.  A board of county commissioners may not impose a surcharge pursuant to this section unless the board first adopts a 5-year master plan for the enhancement or improvement, as applicable, of the telephone system for reporting emergencies in the county. The master plan must include an estimate of the cost of the enhancement or improvement, as applicable, of the telephone system and all proposed sources of money for funding those costs. For the duration of the imposition of the surcharge, the board shall, at least annually, review and, if necessary, update the master plan.

      4.  The surcharge imposed by a board of county commissioners pursuant to this section:

      (a) For each access line to the local exchange of a telecommunications provider, must not exceed 25 cents each month;

      (b) For each trunk line to the local exchange of a telecommunications provider, must equal 10 times the amount of the surcharge imposed for each access line to the local exchange of a telecommunications provider pursuant to paragraph (a); and

      (c) For each telephone number assigned to a customer by a supplier of mobile telephone service, must equal the amount of the surcharge imposed for each access line to the local exchange of a telecommunications provider pursuant to paragraph (a).

      5.  A telecommunications provider which provides access lines or trunk lines in a county which imposes a surcharge pursuant to this section or a supplier which provides mobile telephone service to a customer in such a county shall collect the surcharge from its customers each month. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 244A.7647, the telecommunications provider or supplier shall remit the surcharge it collects to the treasurer of the county in which the surcharge is imposed not later than the 15th day of the month after the month it receives payment of the surcharge from its customers.

      6.  An ordinance adopted pursuant to subsection 1 or 2 may include a schedule of penalties for the delinquent payment of amounts due from telecommunications providers or suppliers pursuant to this section. Such a schedule:

      (a) Must provide for a grace period of not less than 90 days after the date on which the telecommunications provider or supplier must otherwise remit the surcharge to the county treasurer; and

      (b) Must not provide for a penalty that exceeds 5 percent of the cumulative amount of surcharges owed by a telecommunications provider or a supplier.

      7.  As used in this section, “trunk line” means a line which provides a channel between a switchboard owned by a customer of a telecommunications provider and the local exchange of the telecommunications provider.

      (Added to NRS by 1995, 1056; A 1997, 2212; 1999, 1686; 2001, 621, 1643, 2124; 2003, 152, 153; 2007, 559; 2009, 640; 2011, 1122)