§ 5-70-7. Persons and work exempt. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:

(1) The work and equipment employed in connection with the operation of signals, or the transmission of intelligence, and performed by an employee of a municipality or public utility where that work and equipment is an integral part of the communication system owned and operated by a municipality or by a public utility company; or in rendering that work that is subject to regulation under the authority of the public utility commission or the Federal Communications Commission. Work and equipment are integral parts of a communication system if the work and equipment are used to transmit telephone calls or messages in those communication systems.

(2) The work and equipment employed in connection with any community antenna television system (CATV) subject to regulation under title 39 by the division of public utilities; or any subcontractor of the CATV system while performing the work, whether or not the work is deemed regulated or nonregulated by a state or federal code, statute, regulation, or decision of any regulatory authority or board.

(3) The work and equipment employed in connection with any public or private radio or television station and/or service and their authorized agents that have in their employ a person holding a valid federal commercial class license granted by the Federal Communications Commission.

(4) The work and equipment employed in connection with the installation and/or servicing of data processing systems or personal computers that are provided by a data processing firm or corporation. This exemption does not extend to include work pursuant to this chapter.

(5) This chapter shall not forbid the installation of telecommunications systems in a single family residential building or on the immediate premises of the building by the owner if the owner is living on, or about to live on, the premises.

(6) This chapter shall exempt and has no application to any holder of an electrical contractor's license, certificate A, or the holder of a journeyperson electrician's license, certificate B, issued by the Rhode Island department of labor and training, division of professional regulation, and an electrician apprentice registered by the department of labor and training working under the direct supervision of a holder of a journeyperson electrician's license, Class B. Work performed pursuant to this chapter shall be designed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter or a manufacturer's design and specification installation instruction.

(7) This chapter shall not forbid any person who now holds a license issued by the state in the performance of his or her normal duties; nor shall it forbid any person who now holds a license to operate a moving picture machine in the performance of his or her normal duties; provided, that the person holds a valid license that was granted by a town or city council in the state or by an official, board, or agency endowed with authority to issue that license. This exemption does not apply to work performed that is not directly related to the performance of the duties of the license holder that are regulated under the valid license.

(8)(i) Any firm, corporation, or other form of legal entity that employs permanent staff to design, configure, install, or service telecommunications system(s) within its own organization, affiliates, members, or network. The organization shall be referred to as a "self-provider" for purposes of this chapter.

(ii) The staff employed by the self-provider shall not be required to be licensed under this chapter while performing work in supporting the telecommunications system(s) within its organization, affiliates, members, or network.

(iii) However, should the self-provider contract any services provided by the subject telecommunications system(s), those individuals performing the work associated with the services shall not be exempt from this chapter and must hold the appropriate license under this chapter.

(9) This chapter shall not forbid the work of any person who holds a registration as a professional engineer in this state in the performance of his or her normal duties; provided, that the work shall be stamped and signed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the board of registration for professional engineers.

(10) The telecommunications work and equipment in mines, ships, railway rolling stock, or automotive equipment.

(11) The work and equipment employed in connection with kindergarten through grade 12 schools or public libraries utilizing volunteers under the direct supervision of a Rhode Island-licensed telecommunications system contractor (TSC), with no more than two (2) volunteers being directly supervised by a telecommunications system contractor (TSC).

(12) The work and equipment employed in connection with any telephone company with fifty thousand (50,000) or more access lines subject to regulation by the public utilities commission and/or the division of public utilities, whether or not the work is deemed regulated or nonregulated by a state or federal code, statute, regulation, or decision of any regulatory authority or board.

History of Section. (P.L. 1994, ch. 346, § 1; P.L. 1999, ch. 443, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 137, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 298, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 347, § 1.)