Effective Jan. 1, Colorado will impose a 1.4 percent charge on prepaid phone cards and wireless services to help fund the state’s 911 system. The fee was authorized under Senate Bill 120, which Gov. Bill Ritter signed this month.
Previously, the state only collected a 911 charge on landlines and postpaid cellphones, or wireless services with contracts. Those funds amount to about $6 million a year.
Colorado will be the 7th state to implement a 911 charge on prepaid phone services, according to AT&T, which supported the legislation.
The additional funding could help advance new technologies for emergency response services, such as the ability for 911 centers to accept text messages and photos.
“This is a big win for our state and will help ensure emergency communications systems continue to serve Coloradans,” said AT&T state president Bill Soards.
