Bill adding fee for prepaid phones heads to governor’s desk

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Prepaid phone customers will have to pay an extra 93 cents to support local 911 emergency services under a bill headed to Gov. Matt Bevin’s desk.

The state Senate gave final approval to a bill that requires retailers collect the fee on the sale of prepaid phones and phone cards. Local governments pay for 911 services with a fee imposed on landline phones. The state imposes a fee on cellphones. But because of a problem with the formula, prepaid phone customers have not been paying the full fee.

State officials say the problem has cost local governments about $2 million a year. Retailers opposed the bill because they said it would be too much of a burden to collect the fee.

If signed into law, the bill would take effect Jan. 1.