577.105. Telephone calls on party lines during emergencies--priority--penalty.

MISSOURI STATUTES AND CODES

577.105. Telephone calls on party lines during emergencies--priority--penalty.

Telephone calls on party lines during emergencies--priority--penalty.

577.105. 1. "Party line", as used in this section, means asubscriber's line telephone circuit, consisting of two or moremain telephone stations connected therewith, each station with adistinctive ring or telephone number. "Emergency", as used inthis section, means a situation in which property or human lifeare in jeopardy and the prompt summoning of aid is essential.

2. Any person who willfully refuses to immediatelyrelinquish a party line when informed that the line is needed foran emergency call to a fire department or law enforcementofficial or for medical aid or ambulance service, or any personwho secures the use of a party line by falsely stating that theline is needed for an emergency call, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

3. Every telephone directory hereafter distributed to themembers of the general public in this state or in any portionthereof which lists the calling numbers of telephones of anytelephone exchange located in this state shall contain a noticewhich explains the offense provided for in this section, thenotice to be preceded by the word "warning"; provided, that theprovisions of this section shall not apply to those directoriesdistributed solely for business advertising purposes, commonlyknown as classified directories, nor to any telephone directoryheretofore distributed to the general public. Any person, firmor corporation providing telephone service which distributes orcauses to be distributed in the state copies of a telephonedirectory which is subject to the provisions of this section andwhich do not contain the notice herein provided for is guilty ofa misdemeanor.