Public call box draft outline licence condition
Delete all of Condition 11 in BT s Licence and replace with the following:
11.1 The Licensee shall secure that Public Call Box Services are provided at all its Public Call Boxes in the Licensed Area whether installed before, on or after the date this Licence enters into force until such time as such services cease to be provided in accordance with Condition 11.3.
11.2 The Licensee shall display and take all reasonable steps to keep displayed prominently in or on all Public Call Boxes at which it provides or secures the provision of Call Box Services a notice specifying in relation to those services:
i) the minimum charge payable for the connection of a call;
ii) the means by which the charge may be paid by reference to the particular coins and any other means of payment by credit card or otherwise;
iii) the amount of charge payable in respect of messages conveyed within the United Kingdom by reference to the duration of the call, the distance over which the message is conveyed and the time or day when the call is made;
iv) the location of the Public Call Box sufficient to enable it to be located as swiftly as possible by Emergency Organisations;
v) that the Licensee or other person whose name, address and telephone number in either case is specified in the notice will deal with any complaint which is made to them;
vi) that Public Emergency Call Services are available at the Public Call Box without incurring any charge; and
vii) whether or not the services include the connection of calls to the Public Call Box where the call has not been initiated in the Public Call Box.
11.3 The Licensee shall, after consultation with the Director, publish from time to time in accordance with Condition 16.3 guidelines for determining when:
(a) Public Call Boxes should be installed in new locations;
(b) the licensee shall be entitled to cease to provide Call Box Services at a Public Call Box;
and shall in the case of (a) install Call Boxes on request in accordance with the guidelines [unless there are special circumstances which make it unreasonable to require the Licensee to do so] and in the case of (b) e entitled to cease to provide Call Box Services in accordance with the guidelines.
11.4 In this Condition
(a) Call Box means any kiosk, booth, acoustic hood, shelter or similar structure at which apparatus is installed for the provision of voice telephony services to the public or a class of the public together with such apparatus.
(b) Call Box Services means the installation, repair and maintenance of Call Boxes, the service of conveying by means of the Applicable Systems voice telephony messages to and from such Boxes, directory information services relating to switched voice telephony services available at such Boxes and Public Emergency Call services so available;
(c) Private Call Box means a Call Box owned by or supplied to a person other than the Licensee or another public telecommunications operator at which Call Box Services are or may be provided;
(d) Public Call Box means a Call Box to which the public has access at all times which is neither a Private Call Box nor a Temporary Call Box and at which Call Box Services are or may be provided.
(e) Temporary Call Box means a Call Box run by the Licensee which is mobile or is installed for a limited period or is permanently installed but at which Call Box Services are provided to the public or a class of the public for limited periods of time.
Public call box guidelines
BT agrees to abide by the following terms from August 1997. These Guidelines will be reviewed in 1999.
(1) Except as described in paragraph (2), BT will not remove public call box service from a site unless local circumstances require the withdrawal or resiting of the public call box(es), in which case removal or resiting will only be carried out after obtaining written agreement with the local planning authority and the relevant Parish Council if appropriate. Before any removal or resiting a notice must be displayed on the public call box informing the public of the proposed change and giving details of how representations may be made to the local planning authority and/or Parish Council. A minimum period not being less than 28 days after the date when the notice was first posted shall have elapsed before the removal or resiting of the public call box takes place.
(2) In all situations where BT is required to remove a single site public call box on the instruction of a landowner or other person with the power to issue such an instruction, BT will consult with the local planning authority and Parish Council if appropriate to consider how the local community may secure reasonable access to public call box service. BT will provide service at an identified alternative site, as near as possible to the existing site, except where it is agreed with the local authority that reprovision of service is unnecessary or that the local community s needs can be met by the resiting of another local public call box. In the event that the local authorities and BT fail to agree upon the suitability of a proposed alternative site, either party may make representations to the Director General of Telecommunications who shall then make a determination resolving the matter.
(3) BT and Oftel will agree a set of evaluation criteria to identify the relative merits, in terms of community needs, of requested new public call boxes so that such requests are fairly and consistently handled. These criteria will be monitored and changes may be made over time on the basis of experience. The objective will be to ensure that the reasonable needs of local communities for public call box service are met. In the event that a request for a public call box is not granted by BT, a local authority may make representations to the Director General of Telecommunications who shall then make a determination to resolve the matter.
(4) BT will liaise with local planning authorities to try to secure details of all major new housing developments. BT Payphones will survey existing public call box provision in the area to ensure that the new developments are adequately served.
(5) Oftel will receive a regular summary report of requests for new public call boxes, actual provision of new public call boxes, and data on resiting and removals. Detailed documentation covering these changes in provision will be available to Oftel on demand.