Pennsylvania § 6902 - Willful obstruction of emergency telephone calls.

§ 6902. Willful obstruction of emergency telephone calls.

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of a summary offense if he willfully refuses to relinquish immediately a party line when informed that the line is needed for an emergency call to a fire department or police department or for medical aid or ambulance service, or if he secures the use of a party line by falsely stating that the line is needed for an emergency call.

(b) Notice to public.--Every telephone directory distributed to the members of the general public in this Commonwealth, or in any portion thereof, which lists the calling numbers of telephones of any telephone exchange located in this Commonwealth, shall contain a notice which explains the offense provided for in this section. The notice shall be printed in type which is not smaller than the smallest other type on the same page, and to be preceded by the word "warning" printed in type at least as large as the largest type on the same page. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to those directories distributed solely for business advertising purposes commonly known as classified directories. Any person, providing telephone service which distributes, or causes to be distributed, in this Commonwealth copies of a telephone directory violating the provisions of this subsection, shall be guilty of a summary offense.

(c) Definitions.--As used in this section the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:

"Emergency." A situation in which property or human life are in jeopardy and the prompt summoning of aid is essential.

"Party line." A subscriber's line telephone circuit, consisting of two or more main telephone stations connected therewith each station with a distinctive ring or telephone number.