HB 89 — An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of telecommunications services, providing for compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure failures.

PRINTER'S NO.   72

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 89
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY OWLETT, PICKETT, GILLEN, KAUFFMAN, BANTA, WARNER,
        BURGOS, KENYATTA, SMITH, M. MACKENZIE AND PUGH,
        JANUARY 14, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 14, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of
 3      telecommunications services, providing for compensation to
 4      volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure
 5      failures.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Title 66 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 9   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
10   § 3020.   Compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment
11                or infrastructure failures.
12      (a)    Compensation.--If a local exchange telecommunications
13   company's equipment or infrastructure failure results in the
14   active deployment of a volunteer firefighter to the site of the
15   failure, the company shall physically respond to the site of the
16   failure within 90 minutes of receipt of notice of the failure. A
17   local exchange telecommunications company that fails to
18   physically respond within 90 minutes as required under this
 1   subsection shall pay compensation to the volunteer fire company
 2   at a rate of $1,000 for each hour of active deployment of a
 3   volunteer firefighter.
 4      (b)   Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 5   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 6   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
 7      "Volunteer fire company."   As defined in 35 Pa.C.S. § 7802
 8   (relating to definitions).
 9      "Volunteer firefighter."    As defined in 35 Pa.C.S. § 7412
10   (relating to definitions).
11      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




20250HB0089PN0072                   - 2 -