*Pages 1--3 from Microsoft Word - 9724.doc* 1 PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission News media Information 202/ 418- 0500 445 12 th St. S. W. Fax- On- Demand 202/ 418- 2830 Washington, D. C. 20554 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov ftp. fcc. gov ______________________________________________________________________________________ DA 01- 1341 Released: June 5, 2001 DISABILITIES RIGHTS OFFICE REMINDS STATES THAT ANNUAL LOG SUMMARY OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS CONCERNING TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES IS DUE MONDAY, JULY 2, 2001 By this courtesy notice, the Disabilities Rights Office reminds states and telecommunications relay services (TRS) providers that they must submit their annual consumer complaint log summaries for the 12- month period ending May 31, 2001. 1 State and TRS provider reports must be filed with the Commission on or before July 2, 2001. 2 To assist the Commission in monitoring the service quality of TRS providers, the Commission requires state applicants for TRS certification and TRS providers to maintain a log of consumer complaints that allege a violation of the federal minimum standards. 3 These logs are intended to provide an early warning system to the Commission of possible service quality problems during TRS providers’ five- year certification period. Additionally, this information allows the Commission to determine whether the state has appropriately addressed consumer complaints during the certification process and to spot national trends that may lend themselves to coordinated solutions. It further enables states to communicate with one another to learn how other states are resolving complaints. 4 Commission rules require that the summary log include the number of complaints received that allege a violation of federal TRS minimal standards, whether they were filed with the state or TRS provider. At a minimum, the log shall include the date the complaint was filed, nature of the complaint, date of its resolution and an explanation of the resolution. 5 The complaint log summary must be filed with the Consumer Information Bureau, Disabilities Rights Office. 6 In its Improved TRS Order, the Commission established the requirement for the annual submission of complaint log summaries, but did not establish a date certain by which the submission must occur. Subsequently, in a sua sponte Order on Reconsideration, the Commission amended its rules to require that states’ and TRS providers’ complaint log summaries for the 12- month period ending May 31 be submitted by the states and TRS providers by July 1 of each year, beginning in 2001. 7 The Office of Management and Budget granted approval for the submission of this information on June 21, 2000. 8 Complaint log summaries should, therefore, include information pertaining to complaints received between June 21, 2000 and May 31, 2001. Subsequent 1 2 log summaries should cover the twelve- month period from June 1 to May 31 of each year. States and TRS providers are required to submit these TRS consumer complaint log summaries on or before Monday July 2, 2001. Electronic filings should be made using the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). Reports filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to http:// www. fcc. gov/ e- file/ ecfs. html. In completing the transmittal screen, parties should include their full name, Postal Service mailing address, and the docket number of this proceeding (CC Docket No. 98- 67). Parties filing electronically should also e- mail a copy of their report to DRO’s e- mail box: access@ fcc. gov. Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies with the Commission’s Secretary, Magalie Roman Salas, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554 and a diskette copy to the Commission’s copy contractor, International Transcription Service, Inc. (ITS), 445 12 th Street, SW, Room CY- B400, Washington, DC 20554 (Tel. 202- 857- 3800). In addition, all filers must submit one paper copy and a diskette version in ASCII to Jenifer Simpson, Disabilities Rights Office, Consumer Information Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12 th Street, SW, Washington, D. C. 20554. Reports will be available for public inspection during regular business hours in the FCC Public Reference Room, 445 12 th Street, SW, Room CY- A257, Washington, DC 20554, or may be purchased from ITS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Disabilities Rights Office: Pamela Gregory (202) 418- 2498 (voice) or (202) 418- 1169 (TTY); or Jenifer Simpson (202) 418- 0008 (voice) or (202) 418- 0034 (TTY); or the Disabilities Rights Office (202) 418- 2517 (voice) or (202) 418- 0189 (TTY). This document is available to individuals with disabilities requiring accessible formats (electronic ASCII text, Braille, large print, and audio) by contacting Brian Millin at (202) 418- 7426 (voice) or (202) 418- 7365 (TTY), or by sending an e- mail to access@ fcc. gov. 1 47 C. F. R. Sec. 64.604( c)( 1)( ii). 2 Because July 1, 2001 falls on a Sunday, these reports are due the following day. 3 See In the Matter of Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech- to- Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 00- 56, 15 FCC Rcd 5140 (2000) (Improved TRS Order). 2 3 4 Id. at para 122. 5 See 47 C. F. R. Section 64.604 (c) (1) (i). 6 Id. at para 121. 7 See In the Matter of Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech- to- Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, Order on Reconsideration, FCC 00- 200, (released June 5, 2000). 8 65 FR 40093, June 29, 2000. -FCC- 3