## ![](media/image1.wmf){width="0.7in" height="0.7in"}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]{.underline}

##  [ftp.fcc.gov](ftp://ftp.fcc.gov/)

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## DA 05-1681

## Released: June 16, 2005

CONSUMER & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS BUREAU REMINDS STATES AND
TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES (TRS) PROVIDERS THAT THE ANNUAL
SUMMARY OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS CONCERNING TRS IS DUE FRIDAY, JULY 1,
2005

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, 2005, on or before July
1, 2005.

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, or IP Relay are also required to submit
complaint log summaries. These summaries 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, 2004, and May 31, 2005. Complaint
log summaries shall include, at a minimum, 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]

We note that according to the data presented in the state complaint log
summary submissions for 2004, approximately sixteen hundred complaints
were reported that alleged a violation of one or more of the
Commission's mandatory minimum standards for TRS. Over seventy-seven
percent of all complaints alleged violations of the operational
mandatory minimum standards and stemmed from the interaction between the
calling party and the communications assistant (CA). 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.

**All filings must reference CG Docket 03-123**. States and interstate
TRS providers who choose to submit by paper must submit an original and
four copies of each filing on or before Friday, July 1, 2005. To
expedite the processing of complaint log summaries, states and
interstate TRS providers are encouraged to submit an additional copy to
Attn: Dana Jackson, Federal Communications Commission, Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau, 445 12^th^ Street, SW, Room CY-C417,
Washington, DC 20554 or by email at
[Dana.Jackson@fcc.gov](mailto: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 full text of this document and copies of any subsequently filed
documents in this matter 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. This document and copies of subsequently filed documents in this
matters may also be purchased from the Commission's duplicating
contract, BCPI, Inc., Portals II, 445 12^th^ Street, SW, Room CY-B402,
Washington, DC 20554. Customers may contact BCPI, Inc. at their web site
[www.bcpiweb.com](http://www.bcpiweb.com/) or call 1-800-378-3160.

To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail
to <fcc504@fcc.gov> or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). This *Public Notice*
can also be downloaded in Word or Portable Document Format (PDF) at:
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro>.

For further information regarding this *Public Notice*, contact Dana
Jackson, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights
Office (202) 418-1475 (voice), (202) 418-0597(TTY), or e-mail
[Dana.Jackson@fcc.gov](mailto:Thomas.Chandler@fcc.gov).

**- FCC -**

[^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, at 5144-5145, para. 9 (March 6, 2000)
    (*Improved TRS Order);* 47 C.F.R. §64.604(c)(1) (TRS "mandatory
    minimum standards" requiring filing of consumer complaint logs).

[^2]: *Improved TRS Order*, 15 FCC Rcd 5140, at 5190-5191, para. 122.

[^3]: *See* 47 C.F.R. § 64.604 (c)(1).