PERSONAL USE OF STATE TELEPHONES
AND CELLULAR PHONES POLICY

Definitions

Wired telephone - traditional landline local and long distance telephone service.

Cellular telephone - cellular/digital telephone service.

Telephone - unless otherwise stated, telephone includes both wired telephones and cellular telephones.

Background

DNR employees are assigned telephones in order to facilitate communication in the course of performing state business. In addition to traditional wired telephones, cellular telephones are increasingly being used by state employees both as communal devices in emergency situations, and more generally to link employees whose job responsibilities regularly carry them from job site to job site. Usage costs for cellular service are higher than wired telephone service, and cellular service is subject to a higher risk of fraud. Hence, there is higher fiduciary responsibility to oversee and regulate cellular telephone use and payment of invoices.

This policy addresses the personal use of state owned telephones.

Policy

Each division is responsible for the effective and efficient use of telecommunications equipment and service.

A) Guidelines for Issuing Cellular Telephones

Each division must develop guidelines for the issuance of cellular telephones and a process for tracking the custody of cellular telephones issued to their employees. Division guidelines should include at a minimum the following:

1. What responsibilities require the use of a cellular telephone?
2. When should a cellular telephone be shared by a group of employees?
3. When are individual cellular telephones issued?
4. How are individual cellular telephones issued?
5. To whom should cellular telephones be issued?
6. Number of minutes required per month?
7. Desired coverage area?
8. If there is a need for data transmission including faxing?

The use of shared cellular telephones, when practical, is preferable to issuing individual cellular telephones. If a cellular telephone is shared, a log must be maintained to track the responsible person, the dates and times when the cellular telephone was checked out & checked in, and by whom.

B) Justification for Acquiring Cellular Service Plans

Divisions need to determine the cellular service plan required for each individual or group of individuals identified to be issued a cellular telephone. The acquisition of state cellular phones shall be the direct responsibility of Division/Office chiefs with justification for approval falling into one or more of the following areas:

1. Law Enforcement - State cellular phones may be acquired to supplement the 2 way radio system as used by commissioned law enforcement officers and the associated administration of law enforcement activities of these officers.
2. Safety or Emergency response - State cellular phones may be acquired to meet an emergency response mandate or to ensure the safety of Division/Office employees or the general public in emergency situations.
3. Management benefits - State cellular phones may be acquired to improve management activities that can be directly attributed to a positive cost benefit to the Division/Office. 

Divisions need to evaluate available cellular telephone service plans including those on the DAS Cellular Telephone Rate Plans list maintained by Telecommunications Management. If a division decides to procure a cellular telephone service plan that is not on the DAS Cellular Telephone Rate Plans list, the division must present a business case for procuring another cellular telephone service plan. Regardless of the plan chosen, the division must submit their request as outlined in the procedure section of policy DAS-ITP H.6 Telecommunications Utility Services.

Divisions should use the guidelines in section A and justifications in section B to purchase the cellular service plan that meets the needs of each group or individual at the lowest cost to the state.

It is recommended that divisions acquire digital cellular telephone service rather than analog to reduce the potential for fraudulent use.

C) Record Keeping/Reimbursement

Personal long distance calls on wired telephones and all personal cellular calls made and received will be considered the responsibility of the employee to whom the telephone is assigned, unless it can be shown that calls are the result of cloning or other fraudulent use of the account or telephone by someone other than the employee.

State telephones should not be used for personal long distance calls, except in emergency cases only. When this use occurs a personal telephone credit card or personal telephone number should be used for payment. In the event a long distance emergency call was made from a state telephone, and not charged to a personal telephone credit card or personal telephone number, the responsible employee must reimburse the state at the time the telephone call is included in the billing.

Due to the higher fiduciary responsibility to oversee and regulate cellular telephone use, the detailed bill for each state owned cellular telephone must be reviewed as bills are received using the following procedure:

1. Each person assigned a cellular telephone must review the detailed bill and initial any personal calls made or received.
2. Each person will sign and date the bill, documenting the total charge for all personal calls made or received.
3. Each person with personal calls will reimburse the state following the standard procedure established by the Division (see section G - Personal Use Reimbursement Guidelines For Cellular Telephones).
4. Division management will review the bill after all personal calls have been noted to ensure that personal cellular usage followed the guidelines in this policy.

D) Limitations on Personal Calls

For wired telephones, it is recognized that it may be necessary to make or accept a limited number of personal telephone calls while at work. However, the frequency and duration of such personal calls must be kept to a minimum and, whenever possible made during lunch hours or authorized breaks.

Except in the case of emergencies, personal long distance calls should not be made from wired telephones and charged to the state. Personal long distance calls can be made from wired state telephones if charged to a personal credit card, to a third party number or a non-state number.

For cellular telephones, personal calls made or received on state cellular telephones are only acceptable in emergency situations when no wired telephones are available for use.

Personal business, which involves an activity undertaken for profit or gain of any kind, shall not be conducted from a state telephone. Employees are prohibited from circulating their state telephone number as a telephone number at which they can be reached for personal business (personal business cards and materials shall not have a state telephone number listed as the contact number).

Divisions may exclude some state telephones (e.g., emergency response lines) from receiving or originating any personal calls.

Personal calls or other messages on state facsimile machines (FAX), the Internet or any other state computer system via modem are strictly prohibited.

Calls to 1-900 numbers or other pay-per-call numbers are strictly prohibited. Divisions using the CENTREX system should have 1-900 calls blocked. For those divisions using something other than CENTREX, the division should either block 1-900 numbers in the software of the telephone equipment on premise or contact the telephone utility and request that 1-900 numbers be blocked.

Care should be taken in returning calls to unrecognized area codes and telephone numbers, as the number could be a pay-per-call number.

E) Annual Review of Cellular Service

At least annually, each division is to complete a review of their individual and group cellular service needs. Each division must reevaluate the cellular service plans being used by individuals and groups within the division. This evaluation is to determine if the cellular telephones are still needed, if the plan is still the most appropriate plan for their business needs considering usage patterns and if the plan is still the most cost effective. Divisions are encouraged to perform this evaluation on a more frequent basis if needed as technology and market conditions change frequently. As part of the evaluation process, reference should be made to criteria established under sections A and B of this policy.

F) Penalties

Violation of this policy shall result in disciplinary action and may be a cause for termination.

G) Personal Use Reimbursement Guidelines For Cellular Telephones

The following guidelines are to be followed when calculating reimbursement to the state for personal cellular telephone usage. Although there are numerous cellular telephone service plans available, most of the plans fall into one of the two broad categories below, which will be used as the basis for the reimbursement calculation. Note: In the following examples, the state employee used their state cellular telephone for ten minutes due to a personal emergency when no wired telephone was available.

Monthly Flat Rate - This type of cellular telephone service plan features a flat monthly rate per phone for a certain number of minutes. Additional minutes are charged at a higher rate. When calculating personal cellular usage for this type of service, the monthly service fee is divided by the number of minutes allowed under the plan and then multiplied times the number of personal cellular telephone minutes used. If the allotted number of minutes has been exceeded, the -additional minutes” rate is applied to personal cellular telephone minutes up to the amount over the allotted number of minutes.

Example: For each cellular telephone, the service plan is $27.00 per month for 120 minutes of cellular service. Each additional minute is $0.35 per minute.

To calculate ten minutes of personal cellular use when the allotted number of minutes under the plan has not been exceeded, the following formula would be used: $27.00 divided by 120 minutes = $0.225 per minute; multiplied by 10 would total $2.25 reimbursable to the state.

To calculate ten minutes of personal cellular use when the allotted number of minutes under the plan has been exceeded by ten minutes or more, the following formula would be used: $0.35 per additional minute; multiplied by 10 would total $3.50 reimbursable to the state.

To calculate ten minutes of personal cellular use when the allotted number of minutes under the plan has been exceeded by five minutes, the following formula would be used: $27.00 divided by 120 minutes = $0.225 per minute; multiplied by 5 would total $1.13 plus $0.35 per additional minute; multiplied by 5 would total $1.75; for a grand total of $2.88 reimbursable to the state.

Peak and Off-peak Minutes: This type of cellular telephone service plan features a flat monthly rate per phone and charges cellular usage on a per minute basis. Minute usage is calculated based on peak minutes or off-peak minutes as defined in the cellular telephone service plan. When calculating personal cellular usage for this type of service, multiply the personal cellular minutes used by either the peak or off-peak rate (as defined in the cellular telephone service plan).

Example: Peak minutes are charged at $0.20 per minute and off-peak minutes are charged at $0.15 per minute.

To calculate ten minutes of personal cellular use (eight minutes peak; two minutes off-peak), the eight peak minutes would be multiplied times $0.20 for a total of $1.60. The two off-peak minutes would be multiplied times $0.15 for a total of $0.30. The two sub-totals computed would be added together to determine the total amount reimbursable to the state ($1.60 + $0.30 = $1.90).

Most cellular telephone service plans have a separate (usually higher) per minute -roam rate” for calls made outside the cellular service plan area. Any personal cellular telephone usage outside the service plan area shall be reimbursed to the state at the per minute -roam rate” as defined in the cellular telephone service plan.

If the cellular telephone service plan in use or under consideration by a division does not fit either of the two broad categories above, the division may consult the Office of IT Policy and Planning for guidelines in calculating the reimbursement to the state for personal cellular telephone calls.