25-4.070: Customer Trouble Reports
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The proposed amendments are intended to simplify, streamline, and clarify the rule. Docket No. 080641-TP.
SUMMARY: This rule is amended to apply to residential telephone service only, delete unnecessary provisions, define service standards to require at least 90 percent of reports be cleared within required time periods, and delete the repeat trouble report requirement.
SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS: The rule amendments benefit the Commission, companies, and customers by having a more simple, streamlined, and clarified rule, and companies’ administrative costs would likely decrease. However, the amendments could possibly have negative impacts on customers due to potentially longer time for repairs to be made.
Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 350.127(2) FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 364.01(4), 364.03, 364.15, 364.17, 364.18, 364.183, 364.386 FS.
IF REQUESTED WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS NOTICE, A HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED AND ANNOUNCED IN FAW.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 48 hours before the workshop/meeting by contacting: Office of Commission Clerk, 2540 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0850, (850)413-6770. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Kathryn G.W. Cowdery, Office of General Counsel, 2540 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0850, (850)413-6216
THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:
25-4.070 Customer Trouble Reports for Residential Service.
(1) Each telecommunications company shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the extent and duration of trouble conditions that disrupt or affect residential customer telephone service. Trouble reports will be classified as to their severity on a service interruption (synonymous with out-of-service or OOS) or service affecting (synonymous with non-out-of-service or non-OOS) basis. Service interruption reports shall not be downgraded to a service affecting report; however, a service affecting report shall be upgraded to a service interruption if changing trouble conditions so indicate.
(a) through (b) No change.
(c) If service is discontinued in error by the telephone company, the service shall be restored without undue delay, and clarification made with the subscriber to verify that service is restored and in satisfactory working condition.
(2) Sundays and Holidays:
(a) Except for emergency service providers, such as the military, medical, police, and fire, companies are not required to provide normal repair service on Sundays. Where any repair action involves a Sunday or holiday, that period shall be excepted when computing service standards objectives, but not refunds for service interruptions OOS conditions.
(b) No change.
(3) Service Standards Objectives:
(a) Service Interruption: Restoration of interrupted service shall be scheduled to ensure insure at least 90 95 percent shall be cleared within 24 hours of the report in each exchange that contains at least 50,000 lines and will be measured on a monthly basis. For exchanges that contain less than 50,000 lines, the results can be aggregated on a quarterly basis. For any exchange failing to meet this objective, the company shall provide an explanation with its periodic report to the Commission.
(b) Service Affecting: Clearing of service affecting trouble reports shall be scheduled to ensure insure at least 90 95 percent of such reports are cleared within 72 hours of the report in each exchange which contains at least 50,000 lines and will be measured on a monthly basis. For exchanges which contain less than 50,000 lines, the results can be aggregated on a quarterly basis.
(4)(c) If the customer requests that the service be restored on a particular day beyond the service standards objectives outlined in subsection (3) paragraphs (a) and (b) above, the trouble report shall be counted as having met the service standards objective if the requested date is met.
(5)(4) No change.
(5) Repeat Trouble: Each telephone company shall establish procedures to insure the prompt investigation and correction of repeat trouble reports such that the percentage of repeat troubles will not exceed 20 percent of the total initial customer reports in each exchange when measured on a monthly basis. A repeat trouble report is another report involving the same item of plant within 30 days of the initial report.
(6) The service standards objectives of this rule shall not apply to subsequent customer reports, or (not to be confused with repeat trouble reports), emergency situations, such as unavoidable casualties where at least 10 percent of an exchange is out of service.
(7) Reporting Criteria: Each company shall report pursuant to periodically report the data specified in Rule 25-4.0185, F.A.C., Periodic Reports, the performance of the company with respect to customer trouble reports on Form PSC/CMP 28 (4/05), incorporated into Rule 25-4.0185. F.A.C., by reference and available from the Division of Competitive Markets and Enforcement.
(8) This rule shall apply to residential service only.
Specific Authority 350.127(2) FS. Law Implemented 364.01(4), 364.03, 364.15, 364.17, 364.18, 364.183, 364.386 FS. History– Revised 12-1-68, Amended 3-31-76, Formerly 25-4.70, Amended 6-24-90, 3-10-96, 4-3-05,________.