Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 36 - Technology › Part 101 - Wireless Communication Commission (WCC) › Chapter 2 - PUBLIC RECORDS › Rule 36-101-2.8 - Special Requests

Current through June 25, 2024
When a public records request is received for information
				  not on the list of Standard Documents, the WCC staff will evaluate the request;
				  research the project file and other sources to see what information is
				  available and in what format the information is stored; and estimate the effort
				  that will be required to reproduce the information. This research may require
				  the retrieval of files that have been archived or the search of electronic
				  records. The WCC staff will then prepare a schedule and estimated cost for the
				  public records request, based upon the volume of the information, the format in
				  which the information is stored, and whether or not Third Party Information has
				  been requested. The requestor must provide a payment of $60 with the public
				  records request to cover the first hour of staff time involved in researching
				  the request, retrieving files, and preparing the estimate. This payment is
				  non-refundable if the requestor decides not to proceed with the request after
				  receiving the schedule and estimated cost.
Please note that the following types of public records
				  requests tend to require additional research and staff time and can have
				  significant cost associated with filling the request:
1.
Requests with Large and/or
				Nonspecific Scope:
The less defined and/or more inclusive the scope of the
				  public records request, the more documents and files have to be searched and
				  evaluated by the WCC staff. For example, wording in requests asking for "all
				  records, papers, documents, messages, correspondence, notes, etc. related to
				  this or similar projects" is extremely open-ended and requires staff to
				  interpret what time-frame, sources of information, and project files are
				  reasonable to research and evaluate. The wider the "net," the greater the
				  effort required, and, thus, the greater the cost to the requestor.
2.
Postponing a
				Request:
Sometimes the requestor will submit a public records request
				  and then not respond with payment during the required time frame once the
				  schedule and estimate are provided. If the requestor later decides to proceed
				  with the request, the WCC staff must again locate the information and develop a
				  new schedule and cost estimate. The requestor must submit a new request with
				  the $60 initial payment.
3.
Delays in Requesting Information:
Project files may be archived off-site after a reasonable
				  time period. Requests for information on projects for which a contract has been
				  signed for several months are typically more expensive to respond to than
				  requests for information on projects that have been recently awarded. The WCC
				  reserves the right to use temporary personnel and services, the cost of which
				  will be passed on to the requestor, if sufficient in-house personnel are not
				  available to respond to the request in a timely manner.
Mississippi Code Ann.
				  25-53-171(4)