(1) At the discretion of the court, a party or the party's attorney may make an appearance by telephone conference in a pretrial conference or other hearing under this chapter if:
(a) the party does not need to or intend to offer evidence at the pretrial conference or hearing; and
(b) the party does not reside within the county in which the case is filed or the party's or the party's attorney's principal place of business is not located in that county.
(2) The party requesting the telephone conference is responsible for arranging the telephone conference and paying the associated costs.