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DE PARTMEN T OF CONSU MER AND INDUS TRY SER VIC ES PUB LIC SER VIC E COMMI SS ION
TELECOMM UN ICATIO N SER VIC ES
Filed with th e Secretar y of Stat e on
These ru les tak e effect 7 days after fili ng with th e Secretar y of Stat e
(By auth ority conferr ed on th e public service comm ission by sections 202 an d 213 of 1991 PA 179 , MCL 484 .2202 an d 484 .2213 )
PART 1. GENER AL PROVISIONS
R 484 .401 De finitio ns.
Rule 1. (1) As used in th ese rules:
(a) “Act” mean s 1991 PA 179 , MCL 484 .2101 et seq.
(b) “An swe r” mean s that a provider’s rep rese ntat ive, voice response un it, or aut omat ed operat or system is ready to render assistan ce or ready to accep t informat ion necess ar y to process a call.
(c) “Ave ra ge busy season, busy hour tra ffic” mean s th e avera ge tra ffic volum e for th e busy season, busy hour.
(d) “Busy hour” mean s th e hour when a telecommun icat ion switching system carr ies th e great es t volum e of tra ffic (typically th e busiest hour of th e busiest day of a norma l wee k).
(e) “Busy season” mean s th e period of th e year dur ing which a telecommun icat ion switching system carr ies th e great es t volum e of tra ffic.
(f) “Call” mean s th e action by a customer to obta in a telep hone conn ection wheth er th e conn ection is com pleted or not.
(g) “Centra l office” mean s a switching un it in a telecommun icat ion system which provides service to th e genera l public, an d which ha s th e necess ar y equipment an d operat ing arran gement s for term inat ing an d int erconn ecting customer lines an d trunk s or trunk s only.
(h) “Comm ission” mean s th e Michigan public service comm ission.
(i) “Customer” mean s an y person, firm, partn ership, cor porat ion, mun icipality, coope rat ive, organ izat ion, or governm enta l agency using regulat ed telecommun icat ion services furn ished by a provider.
(j) “Customer trouble report” mean s an y ora l or writt en report from a customer relat ing to a physical defect, difficulty, or dissatisfaction with th e operat ion or facilities of a provider.
(k) “Em ergency” mean s th e loss or impairm ent of service or service below a qua lity that is reasona bly usable to an y of th e followin g ent it ies:
(i) A business that relies on th e service to do business .
(ii) An employee of a public safety, emergency medical, or pr ofessi ona l tra de who is on call.
(iii) A person who ha s a medical need that is life-thr eat ening.
(iv) A sch ool.
(v) An adult car e facility.
(vi) A child car e facility.
(vii) Fifty or more customers in a given geogra phic ar ea.
(l) “Line” or “loop” mean s an y of th e followin g:
(i) The con ductor or con ductors an d support ing stru ctur es extending between a customer’s locat ion an d th e centra l office or between centra l offices wheth er th ey ar e in th e sam e or differ ent commun ities.
(ii) The con ductors an d circuit apparatu s ass ociat ed with a part icular commun icat ion chann el.
(iii) Any commun icat ion chann el between 2 point s, regar dless of th e meth od of it s derivat ion.
(m) “Out of service” mean s a con dition of a customer’s telecommun icat ion service that prevent s th e customer from eith er mak ing or receiving calls or conn ecting to th e customer’s int ern et service provider due to a noisy line, crossed lines, stat ic that mak es norma l con versat ion impra ct ical, or an y oth er con dition that prevent s th e use of all services or featur es that ar e ass ociat ed with basic loca l exchan ge service an d switched data service.
(n) “Pr ovider” mean s a person, firm , partn ership, cor porat ion, or oth er ent ity that provides basic local exchan ge service as defined by section 102 (b) of 1991 PA 179 , MCL 484 .2102 (b).
(o) “Tar iff” mean s th e com pilat ion of all rat es, char ges, classificat ions, an d ru les adopted by a provider an d filed with th e comm ission.
(p) “Techn ical specificat ions” mean s su fficient ly deta iled electr ical an d mechan ical specificat ions to allow th e customer to measur e th e service per forman ce for each service offering.
(q) “Tra ffic” mean s telep hone call volum e, based on th e num ber an d durat ion of mess ages.
(2) A term defined in th e act ha s th e sam e mean ing when used in th ese ru les.
P ART 2. RE CORDS , RE P ORTS, AND TARIFFS
R 484 .421 Avai labi lit y of reco rds .
Rule 21. (1) A provider sha ll mak e available to th e comm ission or it s sta ff, upon request, all recor ds, report s, an d oth er in format ion required to determ ine com plian ce with th ese ru les an d to perm it th e comm ission an d it s sta ff to investigat e an d resolve qua lity of service issues relat ed to regulat ed telecommun icat ion services.
(2) A provider sha ll mak e recor ds, report s, an d oth er in format ion available to th e comm ission or it s sta ff by th e next business day (prefera bly in an electr onic format available thr ough th e int ern et, a ccessible with stan dar d browse r soft war e, ident ificat ion, an d password) or as soon th ereafter as feasible.
(3) Recor ds con stitut ing or in cor porat ing tra de secrets or comm ercial or finan cial in format ion that ar e ma de available to th e comm ission or it s sta ff ma y be ma de exempt from disclosur e, pur suant to section 210 of 1991 PA 179 , MCL 484 .2210 .
R 484 .422 Reten tio n of reco rds .
Rule 22. A provider sha ll prese rve, in deta il, all recor ds required by th ese ru les for th e imm ediat e past 12 month s, an d sha ll prese rve, in summar y form , all recor ds for not less than 3 year s, un less oth erwise ordered by th e comm ission.
R 484 .423 Repo rt s of se rvice dis rup tio ns .
Rule 23. (1) A provider sha ll report promptly to th e comm ission an y specific occurr ence or development that disru pts service to a substant ial num ber of it s customers or that ma y impair it s ability to furn ish service to a substant ial num ber of it s customers. A provider sha ll report all disru ptions that a ffect th e lesse r of 25% or 2,000 of th e provider’s a ccess lines in an y exchan ge for 1 hour or more. It sha ll notify th e comm ission an d post th e in format ion on th e provider’s int ern et websi te with in 90 minut es of th e beginn ing of th e disru ption dur ing norma l business hour s, or, if th e disru ption occur s dur ing th e evening or a weekend, with in 90 minut es of th e comm encement of th e next business day.
(2) A provider sha ll file a fina l report with th e comm ission in electr onic form with in 30 days of an y disru ption. The report sha ll conta in all of th e followin g in format ion:
(a) The reason for th e disru ption.
(b) The geogra phic ar ea a ffect ed.
(c) The num ber of customers a ffect ed. (d) The type of services a ffect ed.
(e) The effect upon th e provider.
(f) Wheth er th e service disru ption was avoidable.
(g) An explanat ion of th e provider’s remedy for th e service disru ption.
(h) A description of th e actions that th e provider ha s tak en or cou ld tak e to avoid similar disru ptions in th e futur e.
R 484 .424 Se rvice measu remen ts .
Rule 24. Upon request of th e comm ission or it s sta ff, a provider sha ll mak e measur ement s to determ ine th e level of it s com plian ce with th ese ru les.
R 484 .425 Tariff s .
Rule 25. A provider sha ll file it s tar iff with th e comm ission in a ccor dan ce with applicable laws an d comm ission orders govern ing th e filing of tar iffs. A provider’s bills an d telep hone directories sha ll include an int ern et URL address at which it s tar iff is available.
P ART 3. CUS TOMER RE LATIO NS
R 484 .431 Rat e and specia l cha rges in forma tio n .
Rule 31. (1) Upon th e request of a customer or an applicant for service, a provider sha ll explain th e rat es, char ges, an d provisions un der which it provides service an d sha ll provide
1 copy of th e applicable tar iff for th e regulat ed tele commun icat ion services that ar e furn ished or available to th e customer or applicant .
(2) A provider sha ll furn ish reasona ble a ccess to in format ion an d assistan ce necess ar y to ena ble th e customer or applicant to obta in th e most econ omical service available to meet th e customer's or applicant ’s stat ed needs . The provider sha ll advise th e customer or applicant about an y of th e provider’s alternat ive services that ar e available to meet th ose needs . This in format ion ma y include print ed explanat ions of alternat ive services an d rat es.
(3) Befor e chan ging or insta lling a service, a provider sha ll furn ish to th e customer or applicant an estimat e of th e am ount of an y service conn ection char ges an d an estimat e of th e initial bill for basic month ly service, including an y fra ct iona l month ly am ount s, an d an y oth er applicable char ges.
(4) A provider sha ll furn ish th e customer or applicant with a writt en, deta iled estimat e of an y special char ges not specifically set forth in th e provider’s tar iff. Special char ges include an y of th e following:
(a) Extra ordinar y con stru ct ion, ma int enan ce, an d replacement cost s.
(b) Expenses for overt ime work at th e customer’s or applicant ’s request.
(c) Special insta llat ions, equipment , an d asse mblies .
(5) Upon request of th e customer or applicant , a provider sha ll furn ish deta iled techn ical specificat ions.
R 484 .432 Identity ve rifi cation .
Rule 32. (1) A provider sha ll require pr oof of ident ity an d reside ncy from a person requesting telep hone service.
(2) A provider sha ll att empt to mat ch th e applicant ’s socia l secur ity num ber to th e applicant ’s nam e thr ough in format ion available from a credit report ing agency. If it cann ot do so, th en th e provider sha ll notify th e applicant an d obta in photogra phic ident ificat ion, mak e a positive ident ificat ion check, an d obta in an explanat ion for th e lack of a mat ch between th e socia l secur ity num ber an d nam e.
(3) A provider sha ll check all of it s available customer a ccount recor ds to verify that th ere is not an a ccount open un der th e applicant ’s nam e or socia l secur ity num ber an d that th ere is not a prior out stan ding balan ce un der th e applicant ’s nam e or socia l secur ity num ber in th e last 60 month s for an y oth er telep hone num ber or at an y oth er locat ion. If th ere is an open account or prior out stan ding balan ce, th en th e provider sha ll notify th e customer that a new account ha s been requested. The provider sha ll not open th e new account unt il it ha s a ffirmat ively verified that th e new a ccount is being esta blished legitimat ely.
(4) A provider sha ll give a customer or applicant an opportun ity to furn ish governm ent ident ificat ion in person. A provider sha ll mak e provision for a customer to prese nt pr oof of ident ificat ion dur ing th e hour s of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday thr ough Fr iday, an d 8 a.m. to n oon , Satur day, at a locat ion with in th e count y where th e customer or applicant resides .
R 484 .433 Disputed cred it informa tio n.
Rule 33. If a provider receives notice from a customer, applicant , or credit report ing agency that credit in format ion is in disput e, th en th e provider sha ll do all of th e followin g, with in 15 days of fir st receiving notice of th e disput e:
(a) Conduct an investigat ion of th e disput ed in format ion.
(b) Review all relevant informat ion provided by th e report ing agency.
(c) Rep ort th e results of th e investigat ion to th e report ing agency.
(d) If th e investigat ion finds that th e in format ion is in com plete or ina ccurat e, report th e results to all oth er report ing agencies to which th e provider furn ished th e in format ion.
(e) Advise th e customer or applicant , in writing, of th e results of th e investigat ion.
R 484 .434 Pu bli c informa tio n.
Rule 34. (1) A provider sha ll mak e available to a customer or applicant all of th e followin g in format ion for inspection an d sha ll provide copies upon request:
(a) Tar iffs for regulat ed telecommun icat ion services.
(b) Maps showing exchan ge boun dar ies, base rat e ar eas, an d zone boun dar ies, if applicable, in su fficient size an d deta il to perm it all customer locat ions to be determ ined.
(c) Pu blicly ann oun ced in format ion as to th e prese nt an d int ended futur e availability of specific classes of service at a customer’s or applicant 's locat ion.
(d) Pu blicly ann oun ced informat ion concern ing plan s for ma jor service chan ges at a customer's or applicant ’s locat ion.
(2) A provider sha ll furn ish to a customer a list of all exchan ges with in th e customer’s loca l calling ar ea upon request an d when th e customer fir st esta blishes service. A provider sha ll notify a customer if th e customer is locat ed in an ar ea in which th e dialing of a 7-digit num ber ma y result in toll char ges.
R 484 .435 Business offic es .
Rule 35. (1) A provider sha ll ma inta in business offices that ar e adequat ely sta ffed with qua lified persons to do all of th e followin g:
(a) Pr ovide con venient a ccess to in format ion relat ing to it s services an d rat es.
(b) Accep t an d pr ocess applicat ions for service.
(c) Explain char ges on bills . (d) Adjust err oneous char ges.
(e) Ent er int o payment arran gement s.
(f) Act as a represe ntat ive of th e provider.
(2) A provider sha ll ma inta in a loca l or toll-fr ee telep hone num ber by which all customers locat ed in th e commun ity served by a business office ma y call that office at no char ge.
(3) A provider sha ll ma inta in su fficient sta ffin g to ensur e that customers an d oth ers who call a business office ar e perm itt ed to ta lk to a person who is able to provide assistan ce with in 3 minut es of calling th e office.
(4) A provider sha ll ensur e that all in format ion provided to customers an d oth ers is a ccurat e an d in com plian ce with comm ission ru les an d th e provider’s tar iff.
(5) A provider sha ll mak e arran gement s to assist th ose who do not spe ak En glish.
R 484 .436 Cus to me r billi ng .
Rule 36. (1) A provider’s bill to each customer sha ll conta in a list ing of all char ges an d th e period of t ime cover ed by th e billing. The bill sha ll it emize all usage-sensitive char ges by dat e, durat ion, an d num ber called un less th e customer waives an itemizat ion or th e provisions of subru le (3) of th is ru le apply.
(2) A provider sha ll furn ish a customer with a writt en explanat ion of loca l service char ges an d applicable techn ical specificat ions upon request.
(3) When a minimum month ly rat e includes a usage a llowan ce, a provider sha ll show on th e customer’s bill th e port ion of th e a llowan ce used for an y billing period in which th e full allowan ce is not exceeded . Usa ge in excess of th e allowan ce sha ll be shown as a sep arat e item. A provider sha ll keep support ing usage deta il for not less than 90 days, an d sha ll furn ish th e usage deta il to th e customer upon request.
(4) A provider sha ll include, on th e customer’s bill in th e next billing month , or as soon th ereafter as feasible, an y credit required by th ese ru les with out requiring th e customer to request th e credit or to tak e an y oth er action. A provider is not required to give a credit if th e service problem is cau sed by th e negligence or willful act of th e customer, but th e provider sha ll provide to th e customer a writt en explanat ion of th e negligence or oth er act that excuses th e provision of a credit.
R 484 .437 Bi lli ng accu racy .
Rule 37. A provider sha ll develop account ing an d billing procedur es to ensur e that all of it s customers receive a ccurat e bills for basic loca l exchan ge service. If a customer ha s mu lt iple a ccount s, th en a provider sha ll bill all a ccount s a ccurat ely, both as to service an d equipment , where applicable, on an exchan ge basis. A provider sha ll reimbur se a customer for all err oneous char ges an d sha ll give th e customer a credit of $25 .00 for each billing err or.
R 484 .438 Adve rti sing .
Rule 38. If a service is not genera lly available, th en a provider’s advert ising of that service with out disclosing th e limits on it s availability is false, misleading, or deceptive with in th e mean ing of section 502 (1)(a ) of 1991 PA 179 , MCL 484 .2502 (1)(a ).
R 484 .439 Di rec tori es .
Rule 39. (1) A provider sha ll furn ish to each customer, at no additiona l char ge, a telep hone directory for th e customer’s loca l calling ar ea, an d sha ll revise an d print th e directory annua lly. Ea ch directory sha ll list th e nam e, address , an d telep hone num ber of all customers in th e loca l calling ar ea, except for public telep hones an d an y customer who ha s requested not to be included in th e directory. A provider ma y omit an address at th e customer’s request. A customer ma y specify how his or her nam e sha ll appe ar in th e directory.
(2) Dua l nam e list ings at th e sam e num ber (limited to 1 additiona l nam e) sha ll be provided at no additiona l cost if both persons requesting a dua l nam e list ing ha ve th e sam e surnam e. A customer sha ll ha ve th e option of paying for additiona l list ings in th e sam e or a differ ent directory. A provider sha ll include th e customer's list ing in all directories for which th e customer ha s paid for an extra list ing.
(3) Upon publishing each directory, a provider sha ll furn ish a copy to th e comm ission an d all of th e provider’s customers served by that directory.
(4) The front cover of each directory sha ll indicat e th e ar ea included in th e directory, th e nam e of th e provider or providers serving that ar ea, an d th e month an d year of issue. The front port ion of th e directory sha ll con spicuously featur e in format ion about placing calls to
emergency services, police an d fire dep artm ent s, 9-1-1 service, 2-1-1 service, an d dua l part y relay service.
(5) Ea ch directory sha ll conta in instru ct ions concern ing th e placing of local an d long distan ce calls, obta ining repair an d directory assistan ce services, th e locat ions an d telep hone num bers of th e provider’s business office or offices for th e ar ea served by th e directory, an d th e mean s to determ ine which num bers ar e in th e loca l calling ar ea.
R 484 .440 Di rec tory errors and omissions .
Rule 40. (1) If an err or in th e listed num ber of a customer occur s, th en th e provider sha ll int ercept all calls to th e listed num ber for th e rema ining life of th e directory, if th e existing centra l office equipment perm it s it to do so an d th e num ber is not in service for an oth er customer.
(2) If an err or or omission in th e nam e list ing of a customer occur s, th en th e provider sha ll include in th e files of th e directory assistan ce an d int ercept operat ors th e customer’s corr ect nam e an d telep hone num ber. The provider sha ll arran ge for th e corr ect num ber to be furn ished to th e calling part y at no char ge eith er upon request or int erception.
(3) If a customer’s telep hone num ber is chan ged, th en th e provider sha ll int ercept all calls to th e form er num ber for a minimum of 3 month s an d give th e calling part y th e new num ber.
(4) If additions or chan ges to plant or an y oth er operat ions necessi tat e chan ging telep hone num bers assigned to a group of customers, th en a provider sha ll give reasona ble notice to all customers a ffect ed, even th ough th e chan ge in num bers ma y coin cide with th e issuan ce of a directory.
R 484 .440 a Di rec tory assistance and in te rcept ca ll s .
Rule 40a. (1) Directory assistan ce operat ors sha ll ha ve a ccess to all telep hone num bers, except telep hone num bers not listed or published at th e customer’s request, for th e ar ea for which th ey ar e resp onsible for furn ishing directory assistan ce service.
(2) If a provider’s directory assistan ce operat or provides an in corr ect num ber, th en th e provider sha ll not bill for th e call or sha ll give a credit equa l to th e char ge, an d th e provider sha ll not count th e call against th e customer’s month ly call a llowan ce.
(3) A provider sha ll furn ish a customer up to 3 num bers per call to directory assistan ce.
R 484 .440b Ope rato r se rvices .
Rule 40b. A provider sha ll assur e that operat ors an swer all calls with in 10 se con ds. An ackn owledg ment that th e customer is waiting on th e line is not an an swer.
R 484 .440 c Comp laints and appea ls .
Rule 40c. (1) With in 10 business days after receiving an ora l or writt en com plaint from a customer or applicant , a provider sha ll investigat e an d resp ond fully an d promptly. A provider sha ll notify th e customer or applicant of it s proposed disposition of th e com plaint after ha ving ma de a good faith att empt to resolve th e com plaint . Upon request by th e customer or applicant , a provider sha ll furn ish it s proposed disposition of th e com plaint in writing.
(2) A provider sha ll include on all of it s bills an d in each telep hone directory th e ma iling address an d th e telep hone num ber to which a customer or applicant can direct a com plaint . The ma iling address sha ll include th e nam e of a person des ignat ed by th e com pan y to han dle com plaint s.
(3) A provider sha ll require th e personn el who ha ve initial conta ct with a customer or applicant mak ing a com plaint to in form him or her of th e right to ha ve th e problem con sidered an d acted upon by th e supervisory personn el of th e provider.
(4) A provider sha ll require it s supervisory personn el to provide th e nam e, address , an d telep hone num ber of th e comm ission for furth er review of an unr esolved problem.
(5) Upon receipt of a com plaint , wheth er ora l or writt en, from th e comm ission or it s sta ff, a provider sha ll do all of th e followin g:
(a) Conta ct th e a ffect ed customer with in 48 hour s.
(b) Pr omptly investigat e th e com plaint an d report th e results of it s investigat ion.
(c) Pr ovide a fina l resp onse to th e comm ission or it s sta ff with in 10 business days.
P ART 4. EN GINEER ING AND P LANN ING
R 484 .441 Const ruc tio n.
Rule 41. (1) A provider sha ll des ign, engineer, con stru ct , ma inta in, an d operat e it s tele commun icat ion plant in a ccor dan ce with genera lly a ccep ted industr y stan dar ds, except as modified by th e comm ission or by applicable regulat ions adopted by a mun icipality. A provider sha ll com ply with th ese requirement s in th e mann er that bes t a ccomm odat es th e public an d prevent s, to th e extent pra ct ical, int erference with an d from services furn ished by oth er tele commun icat ion service providers an d public ut ilit ies.
(2) A provider sha ll des ign it s tele commun icat ion plant in a ccor dan ce with industr y stan dar ds to prevent electr oma gnetic int erference from alternat ing curr ent power systems. A provider sha ll engage in prior coordinat ion with an electr ic ut ilit y before placing new plant or mak ing ma jor chan ges in existing plant likely to be a ffect ed by th e electr ic ut ility’s facilities.
(3) To minimize th e occurr ence of volta ge an d groun ding problems, a provider sha ll con sult an d coor dinat e with existing electr ic an d natura l gas ut ilit ies in th e genera l vicinity of plann ed tele commun icat ion plant con stru ct ion befor e con stru ct ion.
(4) A provider sha ll not int er conn ect service to lines an d equipment that do not com ply with th e provisions of th is ru le an d th e ru les of th e fede ra l commun icat ions comm ission.
(5) A provider sha ll com ply with th e provisions of 1974 PA 53, as am ended , MCL 460 .701 et seq.
R 484 .442 Gene ral practices .
Rule 42. (1) A provider sha ll employ pru dent mana gement an d engineering pra ct ices, including th e use of reliable pr oced ur es for for ecasting futur e deman d for services. It sha ll con duct stu dies an d ma inta in recor ds to determ ine wheth er regulat ed tele commun icat ion services will com ply with th ese ru les.
(2) A provider sha ll mak e tra ffic stu dies an d ma inta in recor ds as required to determ ine if su fficient equipment an d an adequat e operat ing for ce ar e provided at all t imes, including
th e avera ge busy hour , busy season. It sha ll seek to provide service so that customers do not expe rience more than a 1% call fa ilur e rat e dur ing an y 1-hour period.
(3) A provider sha ll insta ll su fficient centra l office capacity an d equipment to perm it customers to obta in dial tone with in 3 secon ds an d com plete not less than 99% of dialed calls with out encount ering an equipment blocka ge or irr egular ity dur ing an y period.
(4) A provider sha ll engineer, con stru ct , an d ma inta in th e trunk an d relat ed switching com ponent s in th e provider’s network that conn ect to th e switched a ccess network so that not less than 99% of properly dialed switched a ccess calls (out going trunk s) dur ing th e avera ge busy season do not encount er equipment blocka ge or irr egular it y.
(5) If customers expe rience a call fa ilur e rat e of more than 1%, th en th e provider sha ll tak e imm ediat e steps to reduce th e call failur e rat e to that level.
R 484 .443 Cus to me r li ne tra nsm issio n requiremen ts .
Rule 43. A provider sha ll com ply with th e followin g stan dar ds for all customer loops , except inside wiring an d customer premises equipment :
(a) ) A circuit loss of less than 8.5 decibel s measur ed to a milliw att reference.
(b) A circuit curr ent of more than 20 milliam peres.
(c) A circuit noise level of less than 20 decibel s-reference noise calibrat ion.
(d) A power influence level of less than 80 decibel s-reference noise calibrat ion.
(e) A data rat e of 56 kilobits per secon d.
R 484 .444 In tra LATA trunk tra nsm issio n re qu iremen ts .
Rule 44. A provider sha ll com ply with both of th e followin g stan dar ds for all intra LATA trunk s:
(a) Int er office trunk s sha ll ha ve an objective of +/- 3.6 decibel s of th e engineered measur ed loss.
(b) En d office to end office testing sha ll ha ve an objective of +/- 3.6 decibel s per switched leg of th e engineered measur ed loss.
R 484 .445 Inspec tio ns and tes ts .
Rule 45. (1) A provider sha ll adopt an d implement a writt en program , including, but not limited to, periodic an d rout ine testing an d inspection of all of th e followin g:
(a) Int er office trunk ing, befor e an d after being placed in service.
(b) Centra l office switching equipment conn ections.
(c) A sam ple of customer loops in each exchan ge.
(2) The writt en program sha ll be developed so as to achieve an efficient operat ion of th e provider’s system an d th e rendering of safe, adequat e, an d cont inu ous service for both rout ine testing an d inspe ct ion activities an d for th e testing an d inspe ct ion of tr ouble locat ions.
(3) A provider sha ll ma inta in, or ha ve a ccess to, test facilities ena bling it to determ ine th e operat ing an d tran smission capabilities of all equipment an d facilities specified in subru le
(1) of th is ru le.
R 484 .446 Eme rgency ope ration .
Rule 46. (1) A provider sha ll mak e reasona ble provision to provide service notwith stan ding emergency power int erru ptions, unu sua l an d prolonged increases in tra ffic, illness of it s personn el, an d fires, storm s, or oth er emergencies. It sha ll in form it s employees of th e pr oced ur es to be followed for an emergency to prevent or minimize int erru ption an d impairm ent of tele commun icat ion service.
(2) A provider sha ll equip each centra l office, remote switch, remote line un it , an d int erexchan ge toll switching office or a ccess tan dem with a minimum of 4 hour s of peak load batt ery rese rve, if perman ent au xiliar y power is insta lled, an d 8 hour s of batt ery rese rve, if perman ent emergency power is not insta lled. It sha ll ha ve available a mobile power un it to be delivered an d conn ected to centra l offices , remote switches, an d remote line un it s with in 8 hour s.
(3) A provider sha ll ma inta in curr ent , writt en emergency pr oced ur es that ar e directed to th e prompt restorat ion of tele commun icat ion service dur ing abnorma l con ditions.
(4) A 9-1-1 service supplier sha ll provide 24-hour , 7-day-a- week data base a ccess so as to perm it in format ion to be acquired or corr ected.
(5) A provider, 9-1-1 service supplier, public safety an swering point , or an y ent ity providing or ma inta ining 9-1-1 data base in format ion sha ll be liable for err ors or omissions in an y 9-1- 1 system or data base notwith stan ding an y tar iff, int er conn ection agreement , or contra ct provision.
(6) A provider, 9-1-1 service supplier, public safety an swering point , or an y ent ity providing or ma inta ining 9-1-1 data base in format ion sha ll corr ect each err or in th e 9-1-1 system or data base with in 1 business day.
P ART 5. RE P AIR AND INS TALLATIO N
R 484 .451 Maintenance of plant and e qu ip men t .
Rule 51. (1) A provider sha ll adopt an d implement a ma int enan ce program des igned to achieve efficient operat ion of it s system con sistent with th e rendering of safe, adequat e, an d cont inu ous service in com plian ce with applicable codes . With in 48 hour s, a provider sha ll repair plant that is in an un safe con dition.
(2) A provider sha ll ma inta in all plant an d equipment up to an d including th e network int erface device at th e customer’s locat ion in safe an d serviceable repair at no char ge to th e customer beyond th e norma l month ly char ge for basic local exchan ge service. A provider sha ll do at least all of th e followin g:
(a) Rep air or replace broken, dama ged, or deteriorat ed part s.
(b) Readjust adjusta ble apparatu s an d equipment when foun d to be in un sat isfactory operat ing condition.
(c) Corr ect electr ical fau lt s, such as leaka ge or poor insulat ion, noise induction, cross ta lk, or poor tran smission chara cteristics.
R 484 .452 Cus to me r tro uble repo rt s .
Rule 52. A provider sha ll ma inta in service so that th e avera ge month ly rat e of a ll customer tr ouble report s in an y exchan ge does not exceed 4 per 100 a ccess lines, excluding
report s con cern ing int erexchan ge calls an d tr ouble foun d in equipment oth er than th e provider's equipment , such as inside wiring an d customer premises equipment . For pur poses of th is ru le, each part y line customer sha ll be con sidered to ha ve 1 a ccess line. Ea ch customer line report ed or foun d to ha ve tr ouble sha ll be count ed as a sep arat e tr ouble report .
R 484 .453 Cus to me r repa ir reques ts .
Rule 53. (1) A provider sha ll mak e provision for th e receipt of customer repair requests at all hour s. A provider sha ll ma inta in adequat e personn el so that a person able to help a customer will an swer a call with in 3 minut es. An ackn owledg ment that th e customer is waiting on th e line is not an an swer.
(2) A provider sha ll arran ge to ha ve a represe ntat ive available at all t imes to a ccep t calls from providers an d users of 9-1-1 an d emergency services to report tr ouble with it s telecommun icat ion services to th ose providers.
(3) A provider sha ll mak e a full an d prompt investigat ion of all repair requests an d sha ll render reasona ble assistan ce to th e customer to ident ify a cau se for th e outa ge that ma y be corr ected by th e customer.
(4) A provider sha ll ma inta in an a ccurat e recor d of repair requests by telep hone num ber or circuit num ber, as appropriat e. The recor d sha ll include all of th e followin g in format ion:
(a) The customer or service a ffect ed.
(b) The t ime, dat e, an d natur e of th e repair request.
(c) The action tak en to clear th e repair request or sat isfy th e com plaint .
(d) The dat e an d t ime th e repair was com pleted or th e request was oth erwise closed.
(5) A provider sha ll not att empt to mark et new services to a customer calling to report a service problem.
(6) If a ccess to a customer’s premises is necess ar y to com plete th e repair an d th e customer is not available, th en a ta g sha ll be left on th e customer’s door indicat ing th e dat e, an explanat ion of th e repair problem necessi tat ing entr y int o th e customer’s premises , an d th e techn ician ’s nam e an d signatur e.
(7) If a customer’s line is out of service more than 24 hour s, th en th e provider sha ll place a recor ding on th e line stat ing that th e line is being checked for tr ouble.
R 484 .454 Eme rgency repa irs .
Rule 54. (1) A provider sha ll arran ge to clear all emergency out -of-se rvice tr ouble with in 4 hour s, except in an y of th e followin g situat ions:
(a) The safety of th e provider's personn el would be at r isk .
(b) Access to th e customer's premises is required but not available.
(c) The repair is necessi tat ed by an una voidable occurr ence a ffect ing a lar ge num ber of customers.
(2) A provider sha ll expedi te a repair for a customer who ha s a medical emergency. Un less it ha s a specific, ident ifiable reason to doubt a customer’s claim, a provider sha ll a ccep t th e customer’s claim that th ere is a medical con dition requiring expedi ted restorat ion of service.
(3) In addition to an y credit required by R 484 .455 , a provider sha ll give th e customer a credit of $25 .00 if th e repair is not com pleted with in 4 hour s.
R 484 .455 Out-of-se rvice repa irs .
Rule 55. (1) A provider sha ll arran ge to clear all out -of-se rvice tr ouble of a nonemergency natur e with in th e followin g t ime fram es, un less th e customer agrees to an oth er schedule:
(a) Monday thr ough Fr iday, excluding holidays, all out -of-se rvice tr ouble sha ll be clear ed with in 24 hour s after being report ed to or foun d by th e provider.
(b) On weekends an d holidays, all out -of-se rvice tr ouble sha ll be clear ed with in 48 hour s after being report ed to or foun d by th e provider.
(c) Repe at tr ouble report ed or foun d with in 45 days of a prior repair sha ll be repaired with in 8 hour s after being report ed to or foun d by th e provider.
(2) For th e fir st 3 days of a service int erru ption, a provider sha ll give th e customer a credit equa l to 1/30 of th e customer’s month ly char ge for basic loca l exchan ge service for each day or port ion th ereof, comm encing when th e out -of-se rvice tr ouble is report ed to or foun d by th e provider, unt il service is restored. Aft er th e th ird day, a provider sha ll give th e customer a credit of $10 .00 per day for th e fourth an d su cceedi ng days unt il service is restored.
(3) For repe at tr ouble, a provider sha ll give th e customer a credit of $10 .00 for each day or port ion th ereof, comm encing when th e repe at tr ouble is report ed to or foun d by th e provider, unt il service is restored.
R 484 .456 Othe r repa irs .
Rule 56. (1) A provider sha ll arran ge to clear tr ouble that does not involve an emergency or out -of-se rvice con dition with in th e followin g t ime fram es, un less th e customer agrees to an oth er schedule:
(a) Monday thr ough Fr iday, excluding holidays, all tr ouble sha ll be clear ed with in 48 hour s after being report ed to or foun d by th e provider.
(b) On weekends an d holidays, all tr ouble sha ll be clear ed with in 96 hour s after being report ed to or foun d by th e provider.
R 484 .457 Repa ir commitments .
Rule 57. (1) For all repair requests, a provider sha ll give th e customer a 4-hour t ime period with in which th e repair will be com pleted.
(2) A provider sha ll keep all repair comm itm ent s un less it conta cts th e customer at least 24 hour s befor e th e con firm ed t ime an d reschedules th e appointm ent . If unu sua l repairs ar e required or oth er factors preclude com pleting repairs promptly, th en a provider sha ll mak e reasona ble effort s to notify th e customer.
(3) If a provider misses a t ime comm itm ent , th en it sha ll give th e customer a credit of $25 .00 for each missed comm itm ent .
R 484 .458 Ins tallatio n commitments .
Rule 58. (1) A provider sha ll insta ll service for a customer or applicant with in 5 work ing days of th e insta llat ion request, un less a lat er dat e is requested or agreed to by th e customer or applicant or th e customer or applicant misses th e appointm ent .
(2) A provider sha ll keep recor ds of all insta llat ions not com pleted by th e comm itm ent dat e.
(3) If a provider does not com plete an insta llat ion by th e comm itm ent dat e, th en th e provider sha ll give th e customer or applicant a credit of $10 .00 for each day or port ion th ereof beyond th e comm itm ent dat e unt il service is insta lled an d sha ll waive th e insta llat ion fee, un less th e customer or applicant misses th e appointm ent .
(4) A provider sha ll provide for th e reclassificat ion of service at th e request of a customer not lat er than th e dat e mutua lly agreed to between th e provider an d th e customer. A provider sha ll report to th e comm ission orders for reclassificat ion of service being held more than 60 days.
R 484 .459 Re turn ca ll s .
Rule 59. (1) A provider is required to return a call to a customer if eith er of th e followin g occur s:
(a) A customer requests to spe ak with a supervisor an d a supervisor is not imm ediat ely available.
(b) The provider’s represe ntat ive tells th e customer to expe ct a return phone call.
(2) The provider sha ll give th e customer a credit of $50 .00 if it fa ils to do eith er of th e following:
(a) Ha ve a supervisor return a call by th e end of th e next business day un less a docum ent ed extr eme event occur s.
(b) Ha ve it s tele commun icat ion cor porat ion represe ntat ive return a call by th e end of th e next business day un less a docum ent ed extr eme event occur s.
R 484 .460 P lanned se rvice in te rrup tio ns .
Rule 60. If a provider mu st int erru pt service to work on lines or equipment , th en it sha ll arran ge to do th e work in a mann er that will cau se minima l in con venience to it s customers. When it reasona bly expe cts that service will be int erru pted for more than 15 minut es, th e provider sha ll att empt to notify each a ffect ed customer in advan ce of th e int erru ption. It sha ll mak e emergency service available, as required, for th e durat ion of th e int erru ption.
P ART 6. MONITORING
R 484 .461 Key measu res of pe rformance .
Rule 61. (1) A provider sha ll submit to th e comm ission sta ff month ly report s deta iling it s per forman ce on all of th e followin g measur es:
(a) Completing an investigat ion an d conta ct ing th e customer with in 10 days of th e receipt of a com plaint .
(b) Res toring service in an avera ge of 24 hour s (48 hour s on weekends an d holidays) of th e receipt of a tr ouble report .
(c) Answering calls to a business office in an avera ge of 3 minut es. (d) Meeting new insta llat ion comm itm ent s.
(e) Meeting th e techn ical specificat ions of a product or service offer ing.
(2) The format of th e report sha ll be developed in con sultat ion with th e comm ission sta ff.
(3) If a provider fails to meet an y of th e measur es specified in subru le (1) of th is ru le 95% of th e t ime for an y 30-day period, th en th e provider sha ll file a remedial plan with th e comm ission.
P ART 7. WAIVERS AND EXCEP TIONS
R 484 .471 Waive rs and excep tio ns .
Rule 71. (1) A provider ma y request a waiver or exception from th ese ru les when spe cific circum stan ces beyond th e contr ol of th e provider render com plian ce impossible.
(2) A provider ma y request a waiver or exception from 1 or more of th ese ru les when th e provider, togeth er with an y a ffiliat es, serves fewer than 5,000 customers if com plian ce would not be econ omically or techn ologically feasible.
(3) A provider ma y request a waiver or exception from some or all of th ese ru les if a com petitive mark et for basic loca l exchan ge service exists. For pur poses of th is subru le, a mark et is com petitive if 3 or more providers serve th e mark et an d no provider serves more than 60% of th e mark et.
(4) A provider sha ll be exempt from th e provisions of th ese ru les relat ed to directory assistan ce to th e extent th e comm ission determ ines that th e service is com petitive un der section 207 of 1991 PA 179 , MCL 484 .2207 .
