2819.1 Provision of TRS in the District shall be administered by the Fund Administrator.

1. (a) The Fund Administrator shall monitor service levels to ensure that minimum service requirements specified in this Chapter are satisfied.
2. (b) The Fund Administrator shall attempt to resolve any complaints regarding TRS in a reasonable timeframe. If unable to do so, the Fund Administrator shall refer the complaint to the Commission.
3. (c) The Fund Administrator shall draft the Application for Recertification to be submitted to the FCC every five years, and shall file the draft Recertification Application with the Commission no later than 12 months prior to expiration of the current certification.

2819.2 The Commission shall select the TRS provider through a competitive bidding process.

2819.3 A TRS Advisory Board, comprised of community, industry and governmental representatives, shall monitor the provision of TRS in the District.

2819.4 The Board shall consist of the following:

1. (a) One representative of the Commission;
2. (b) One representative of the Office of the People's Counsel;
3. (c) One representative of the TRS Provider;
4. (d) One representative of a District of Columbia government agency responsible for issues involving the hearing and speech impaired communities;
5. (e) One individual recommended by the president of Gallaudet University, if so desired;
6. (f) Two individuals recommended by the D.C. Association of Deaf Citizens, if so desired;
7. (g) One individual recommended by the District of Columbia chapter of the Association of Late-Deafened adults, if so desired;
8. (h) One individual recommended by Self Help for Hard of Hearing Persons, if so desired;
9. (i) One individual recommended by Black Deaf Advocates, if so desired;
10. (j) One individual recommended by the Metro Washington Association of Deaf/Blind, if so desired;
11. (k) One individual recommended by the District of Columbia chapter of the American Speech Language Hearing Association, if so desired;
12. (l) One individual recommended by Deaf Pride Incorporated, if so desired;
13. (m) One representative of the federal government, if so desired; and

(n) One individual selected "at-large" by the Commission who is familiar with the needs of the hearing and speech impaired communities in the District of Columbia.

2819.5 The Board shall meet at least once every six months and provide input to the Fund Administrator and to the TRS provider regarding operation of TRS in the District.

2819.6 The Commission representative shall:

1. (a) Serve as facilitator to the Advisory Board;
2. (b) Schedule meetings and provide notice of the meetings to members;
3. (c) Take minutes and circulate the minutes to members; and
4. (d) Report urgent matters to the Fund Administrator when necessary.

2819.7 The TRS provider shall meet the following minimum service requirements:

1. (a) The overall typing speed of at least 60 words per minute;
2. (b) The TRS system shall be designed to a P.01 standard;
3. (c) TRS shall, except during network failure, answer 85% of the calls within 10 seconds by any method which results in the caller's call immediately being placed, not put in queue or on hold;
4. (d) TRS users shall be able to connect to any interexchange carrier requested;
5. (e) Communication assistants ("CA") must have competent skills in typing, grammar, spelling, interpretation of typewritten ASL, and familiarity with hearing and speech disability cultures, languages and etiquette. CAs must possess clear and articulate voice communications. CAs must provide a typing speed of 60 words per minute. CAs must be high school graduates or shall have passed a high school equivalency examination;
6. (f) The TRS provider must have "in-house" processes to resolve customer complaints;
7. (g) The TRS provider shall have redundancy features functionally equivalent to the equipment in normal central offices including uninterruptible power for emergency use;
8. (h) The TRS provider shall operate everyday, 24 hours a day; and
9. (i) The TRS provider shall meet the requirements of 47 C.F.R. § 64.601 et seq. and any other requirements specified in FCC rules and regulations.

SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 50 DCR 8198 (October 3, 2003).