*Pages 1--3 from Microsoft Word - 38848* 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 TTY 202/ 418- 2555 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov ftp. fcc. gov ______________________________________________________________________________________ DA 04- 1599 Released: June 2, 2004 CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU REMINDS STATES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES (TRS) PROVIDERS THAT THE ANNUAL SUMMARY OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS CONCERNING TRS IS DUE THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2004 The Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau 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, 2004, on or before July 1, 2004. To assist the Commission in monitoring the service quality of TRS providers, the Commission requires state TRS programs and interstate TRS providers to maintain a log of consumer complaints that allege violations of the federal TRS mandatory minimum standards. 1 State TRS programs should report all complaints made to the state agency, as well as those made to the state’s TRS provider. TRS providers that provide interstate TRS, interstate STS, interstate Spanish relay, interstate captioned telephone relay, VRS, and IP Relay are required to submit complaint log summaries. These logs are intended to provide an early warning system to the Commission of possible service quality problems. Additionally, this information allows the Commission to determine whether a state or interstate TRS provider has appropriately addressed consumer complaints and to spot national trends that may lend themselves to coordinated solutions. This information further enables states to learn how other states are resolving complaints. 2 Complaint log summaries should include information pertaining to complaints received between June 1, 2003, and May 31, 2004. Complaint log summaries shall include the number of complaints received that allege a violation of the federal TRS mandatory minimum standards, the date of the complaint, the nature of the complaint, the date of its resolution, and an explanation of the resolution. 3 1 See 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 (March 6, 2000) (Improved TRS Order); 47 C. F. R. §64.604 (“ Mandatory Minimum Standards”). 2 Id. at ¶ 122. 3 See 47 C. F. R. § 64. 604 (c)( 1). 1 2 We note that according to the data presented in the state complaint log summary submissions for 2003, more than thirty million outgoing calls were placed by individuals through state relay facilities. Approximately thirty- five hundred complaints were reported that alleged a violation of one or more of the Commission’s mandatory minimum standards for TRS. 4 This number represents that less than one hundredth of a percent (. 01%) of TRS calls, a statistically negligible number, resulted in an alleged violation of required service standards. This is good news for TRS users. At the same time, the complaint log summaries identified some areas where there is room for improvement. Over seventy- five percent of all complaints stemmed from the interaction between the calling party and the communications assistant. We therefore remind TRS providers and state administrators that their CAs must, among other things, be knowledgeable of TRS procedures, follow customer’s instructions, and continue to keep callers informed about the progress of their call. The complaint log summaries that have been submitted to the Commission by state TRS programs for 2002 and 2003 are currently available on the FCC website at http:// www. fcc. gov/ cgb/ dro/ trs_ by_ state. html. All 2004 complaint log summary submissions by state TRS programs and interstate TRS providers will also be available on this website. States and interstate TRS providers who choose to submit by paper must submit an original and four copies of each filing on or before Tuesday, July 1, 2003. To expedite the processing of complaint log summaries, states and interstate TRS providers are encouraged to submit an additional copy to Attn: Erica Myers, Federal Communications Commission, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, 445 12 th Street, SW, Room 6- A432, Washington, DC 20554 or by email at Erica. Myers@ fcc. gov. States and interstate TRS providers should also submit electronic disk copies of their complaint log summaries on a standard 3.5 inch diskette formatted in an IBM compatible format using Word 97 or compatible software. The diskette should be submitted in “read- only” mode and must be clearly labeled with the State or interstate TRS provider name, the filing date and captioned “Complaint Log Summary.” Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by electronic media, by commercial overnight courier, or by first- class or overnight U. S. Postal Service mail (although we continue to experience delays in receiving U. S. Postal Service mail). The Commission's contractor, Natek, Inc., will receive hand- delivered or messenger- delivered paper filings or electronic media for the Commission's Secretary at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Suite 110, Washington, D. C. 20002. The filing hours at this location are 8: 00 a. m. to 7: 00 p. m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. Commercial and electronic media sent by overnight mail (other than U. S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U. S. Postal Service first- class mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, D. C. 20554. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12 th Street, SW, Room TW- B204, Washington, DC 20554. The filings and comments will be available for public inspection and copying during regular business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12 th Street, SW, Room CY- A257, Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor, Qualex International, Portals II, 44512 th Street, SW, Room CY- B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone (202) 863- 2893, facsimile (202) 863- 2898, or via e- mail 4 See 47 C. F. R. § 64. 604. 2 3 qualexint@ aol. com. Filings and comments may also be viewed on the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office homepage at http:// www. fcc. gov/ cgb/ dro. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, auto format), send an e- mail to fcc504@ fcc. gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202- 418- 0531 (voice), 202- 418- 7365 (TTY). This Public Notice can also be downloaded in Text and ASCII formats at http:// www. fcc. gov/ cgb/ dro. For further information regarding this Public Notice, contact Erica Myers, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office (202) 418- 2429 (voice), (202) 418- 0464 (TTY), or e- mail Erica. Myers@ fcc. gov. - FCC - 3