Iowa Providers Unite!

[nanglgrl]

Thank you for the support everyone. The funny thing is our code which states:
110.5(1)
Health and safety. Conditions in the home shall be safe, sanitary, and free of hazards.
a.
The home shall have a non-pay, working telephone with emergency numbers posted for police, fire, ambulance, and the poison information center. A cell phone shall not be used as the primary phone. The number for each child’s parent, for a responsible person who can be reached when the parent cannot, and for the child’s physician shall be readily accessible by the telephone.

As you can see the code states nothing about not being able to use a home phone that relies on fiber optics, internet or cable service it only says it can't be a pay phone or cell phone. I put a call in to our union and also called the Administrative rules department of our government and they are going to look up and see if there have been any changes to the code and send me exactly what it says.
The cheapest hard wired phone in our area is about $50 a month after taxes and fees. I used that service for years but like most of you my phone sat with the ringer off collecting dust. I didn't even know that it wasn't working for months until I had given my home phone number out for a computer repair and was wondering why after months they hadn't called to tell me my computer was fixed. Then I was told when they called all they got was static, come to find out there was water in the line which is a common occurrence so I switched to Magic Jack. My only other option was Mediacom which was about $70 a month.
Our local DHS inspector and CCRR actually told providers they could use Magic Jack, Mediacom, etc. for years and they are just finding out that someone in Des Moines is saying it's not allowed. I'm thinking someone is having a power trip because even our local DHS and CCRR is confused and can't find anywhere this is stated. It's either that our someone has a deal with the pone company. ::
100% business would be tax deductible except when it comes to the first phone line. I can subtract the business use of my cell though which I do.

[Country Kids]

Why would it have to be copper?

I love my landline! It stays charged constently, not hard to misplace, it doesn't cost me as much as a cell phone.

Husband hates it wants to get rid of it-constant conversation every month.

[nanglgrl]

Why would it have to be copper?

I love my landline! It stays charged constently, not hard to misplace, it doesn't cost me as much as a cell phone.

Husband hates it wants to get rid of it-constant conversation every month.

I'm not sure why it has to be copper. I think because traditionally that's was what is considered to be a landline. To my understanding, if you have anything other than copper it would go through your internet or cable service and those lines are considered (by our state at least) to be less reliable than the copper line. My internet is underground and is fiber optic but it doesn't matter, they consider an above ground phone line that comes to your home on a copper line to be more reliable. The stance is that cable and internet go out in a power outage but copper wired landlines don't. I get the point but the problems are that most people use wireless home phones that also don't work in a power outage and that now, with changing technology, above ground aged phone lines are just not reliable especially when compared to below ground fiber optic.
Maybe it's your area but my cell phone is much cheaper than any of the places that offer landlines around here even if I did a bundle package that included my internet. Our town has it's own utility company that provides power and internet...they are really cheap, the most reliable but do not offer phone service. A landline phone would cost me half of what my families 3 cell phones with unlimited data/texting cost and we never get close to using our 1500 minutes we share because any minutes me use while calling another cell phone don't count. We use the cell phones way more than we use the landline which really has become just a prop that occasionally needs dusted.

[Country Kids]

I think my landline runs around $25 a month even with a bundle package is much, much cheaper then paying for a phone plan.

We do staight talk and its still around $100-$125 for 4 phones! I think its one of those things that need to go with downsizing if it costing you more for the "convenience". I'm not really a cell phone person but do have one. I use it because all my friends can't talk much on their cell phones becaue it costs them their minutes-

[PolkaTots]

Ugh...First my DHS worker said Magic Jack was fine...and then I heard it wasn't and got Mediacom...I wish we could just use cell phones!

[MsMe]

I was just inspected yesterday and he said nothing about copper wire land lines.

[nanglgrl]

Ugh...First my DHS worker said Magic Jack was fine...and then I heard it wasn't and got Mediacom...I wish we could just use cell phones!

Yeah, now Mediacom isn't acceptable either. In my area that means Centurylink or AT&T...both pricey!In some areas that leaves them with no options!
I was told by a DHS worker who does not agree with this rule that they were just told about it a few months ago and she assumed it was because there was a change but so far I've not been able to find the change and think it's just someone getting too big for their britches. I stated that it would only effect new providers or providers that needed to change their numbers but she said no, the state will now be checking everyone's phone numbers by calling the number and they will be able to tell who the service provider is. She doesn't know if they will do this when they re-register or if they are just going to start calling current provider numbers.
In my case my license will be revoked on November 5th. I will then file an appeal which will take about 3 months (I will still be considered registered in the mean time). A judge will call and the case will be presented over the phone. My plan is to just use the code as it is written as it does not say these other providers are not allowed. I should win unless the code has been rewritten in the last few months. I was told that this is happening to other providers as well.

[PolkaTots]

On a side note...where in Iowa are you all from? I am in Bettendorf now, but moving to DSM this summer.

[nanglgrl]

Cedar Falls here. There's an Iowa daycare providers page on Facebook called The Break Room. It's nice to have a group of providers dealing with the same rules, regulations and such.

[PolkaTots]

Cedar Falls here. There's an Iowa daycare providers page on Facebook called The Break Room. It's nice to have a group of providers dealing with the same rules, regulations and such.

Found it! At least I think it's the right one...doesn't specifically say Iowa though.

[nanglgrl]

Found it! At least I think it's the right one...doesn't specifically say Iowa though.

I don't think it says Iowa but that's what it is. There's about 50 members aprox. I don't run that group but I am a member.

[nannyde]

This isn't a new regulation. It's been like this since I registered in 1993.

The union tried to negotiate this with the DHS two years ago and they would not consider it.

I doubt if they will change it any time soon. We recently had a death in a home child care where the provider had a non working cell phone and had to abandon the children in her care and fetch her neighbor to call 911.

http://urbandale.patch.com/articles/urbandale-toddler-identified-in-child-care-death

When Bright's babysitter, Kimberly Kimmer, found that the child was not breathing shortly after 4 Friday afternoon, she ran to the home of a neighbor, Lynne VanWyk, and asked her to call 911, said Peterson. Apparently, Kimmer's phone was not working.

They want a phone that is not dependent on battery or electricity I believe. I think it will change eventually because the option of a land line is becoming less available over time.

[nanglgrl]

I was just inspected yesterday and he said nothing about copper wire land lines.

Your inspector may not have known about it yet. The legislative code does not state anything about having to have a copper wired landline, it only states that we have to have a phone that is not a pay phone or a cell phone. The inspectors for our area were telling people it was fine to have Magic Jack, Mediacom, etc. because those things meet the standards set forth by the code. They only found out a couple of months ago that providers are not allowed to use home phones that go through fiber optic lines and they didn't know they were enforcing it until I called. They are helping in my quest to figure this mess out. The code says nothing about it having to be a copper landline that is not run through cable, internet or fiber optics but someone In our government is interpreting that it does and that's why we need to fight.

[nanglgrl]

This isn't a new regulation. It's been like this since I registered in 1993.

The union tried to negotiate this with the DHS two years ago and they would not consider it.

I doubt if they will change it any time soon. We recently had a death in a home child care where the provider had a non working cell phone and had to abandon the children in her care and fetch her neighbor to call 911.

http://urbandale.patch.com/articles/urbandale-toddler-identified-in-child-care-death

When Bright's babysitter, Kimberly Kimmer, found that the child was not breathing shortly after 4 Friday afternoon, she ran to the home of a neighbor, Lynne VanWyk, and asked her to call 911, said Peterson. Apparently, Kimmer's phone was not working.

They want a phone that is not dependent on battery or electricity I believe. I think it will change eventually because the option of a land line is becoming less available over time.

Do you know where it says the home landline can't run through fiber optic cable? I called the State Law Library and asked for a copy of the rule and any revisions and they sent me this:

110.5(1)
Health and safety. Conditions in the home shall be safe, sanitary, and free of hazards.
a.
The home shall have a non-pay, working telephone with emergency numbers posted for police, fire, ambulance, and the poison information center. A cell phone shall not be used as the primary phone. The number for each child’s parent, for a responsible person who can be reached when the parent cannot, and for the child’s physician shall be readily accessible by the telephone.

I already knew this and am not fighting it. What I'm fighting is that they are now saying it has to be on copper cable and can not run through your internet or cable and that's not what the law says. Maybe you have more insight on the matter?

[nannyde]

Do you know where it says the home landline can't run through fiber optic cable? I called the State Law Library and asked for a copy of the rule and any revisions and they sent me this:

110.5(1)
Health and safety. Conditions in the home shall be safe, sanitary, and free of hazards.
a.
The home shall have a non-pay, working telephone with emergency numbers posted for police, fire, ambulance, and the poison information center. A cell phone shall not be used as the primary phone. The number for each child’s parent, for a responsible person who can be reached when the parent cannot, and for the child’s physician shall be readily accessible by the telephone.

I already knew this and am not fighting it. What I'm fighting is that they are now saying it has to be on copper cable and can not run through your internet or cable and that's not what the law says. Maybe you have more insight on the matter?

The internet phone doesn't have a "line" as far as I know. It's just your voice is converted into a packet of internet data and carried thru the internet.

The confusion over this has been raging for many years in all of Iowa. I just chirped in because I wanted you to know that the regs have been the same for longer than I've been in business. Often the DHS makes regulations that are up to interpretation. They have the right to decide the definition of telephone. They are the ones charged with interpreting the Iowa Code when it comes to child care. The code says telephone and they get to decide what that is.

The only way to change it is to have it go thru the appeal process. They redid their regs not too long ago and really only do that every four/five years... sometimes more. It will be a long while before they redo regs.

In order to do the appeal I think you would have to have them pull your registration. There has to be an actual ACTION for it to be heard.. not just a citation. The action would be revocation of the registration. Also, they can drag out the appeal as long as they darn well please. They have certain time frames that it must be heard BUT there is no one overseeing them and enforcing time frames so be prepared to have it go on for a bit. I would also GET IN WRITING that you can remain registered during the appeal process. The phone is a core safety regulation and they may pull your registration completely. Remember too that this will go on your permanent record which may be available online. It may comes up only as a revocation without explanation.

It's risky.