20090616final_order_no_30840.pdf

Office of the Secretary
Service Date
June 16 2009
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
EXTENSION AND AMENDMENT OF THE
CONTRACT BETWEEN HAMIL TON
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE
IDAHO TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY
SERVICE
ORDER NO. 30840
CASE NO. GNR- T -09-
In Order No. 29915 issued November 22 2005, the Commission approved a contract
(the "TRS Contract") entered into by the Idaho Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)
Administrator and Hamilton Telephone Company dba Hamilton Telecommunications. Under
the terms of the contract, Hamilton provides the telecommunication relay services for Idaho
citizens who are hearing- or speech-impaired.The relay center converts or "relays" oral
conversations to text-type and vice versa. The relay center also provides speech-to-speech
Spanish-to-Spanish, video, and Internet relay services. The TRS Contract is currently in its first
one-year extension which will expire on November 30, 2009.
On May 14, 2009, the TRS Administrator reported that he and Hamilton reached
agreement to extend the TRS Contract for an additional one-year term which will expire on
November 30, 2010. During the final one-year extension, the Administrator and Hamilton also
agreed to amend the rates for relay service provided by Hamilton. The TRS Contract provides
that the existing rate for traditional relay service is $1.31 per conversation minute (actual
conversion time), and $1.50 per session minute (conversation time plus set-up and wrap-up time)
for captioned telephone (CapTel) service.! For the final one-year extension (December 1 , 2009
through November 30 2010) the rates were proposed to be $1.50 per conversation minute for the
traditional relay service, and $1.58 per session minute for CapTel service. All other terms and
conditions remain the same as set forth in the initial TRS Contract.
ADMINISTRATOR'S RECOMMENDATION
The Administrator, Mr. Dunbar, reported that new negotiated rates for the final one-
year extension of the TRS Contract are fair, just and reasonable. He recommended that the
1 CapTel allows hearing-impaired users to hear the conversation as well as read the words on the CapTel phone
built-in screen. The Hamilton relay operator "revoices" the conversation from a caller into the voice-recognition
technology that converts the words into a text message and provides the CapTel user with a more natural
conversation.
ORDER NO. 30840
Commission approve the proposed rate increases and the extension of the TRS Contract from
December 2009 through November 30, 2010. Mr. Dunbar also reported that the TRS cash
reserves are more than adequate to accommodate the increases in the TRS rates. Consequently,
he recommended no changes to the current TRS assessments. The current assessment rates are
$0.02 per access line per month, and $0.002 per intrastate long-distance (MTS/W A TS) minute.
The Commission Staff endorsed Mr. Dunbar s recommendations. Staff noted that the traditional
relay rate has remained unchanged since 2001 and that the CapTel service rate has remained
unchanged since its introduction in June 2006.
DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS
Based upon the recommendations of the Administrator and Staff, we find that it is
appropriate and in the public interest to extend the TRS Contract for one additional year
(December 2009 through November 30, 2010). The Commission further finds that it is
reasonable to increase the existing TRS rates for the final one-year extension. More specifically,
it is just and reasonable to increase the TRS rates to $1.50 per conversation minute for the
traditional relay service, and $1.58 per session minute for CapTel service. Despite these modest
increases in the rates for relay services, we adopt Mr. Dunbar s recommendation that there be no
changes to the current TRS assessments. Based upon Mr. Dunbar s recommendation, we further
find that the existing TRS cash reserves will be more than adequate to accommodate the
approved rate increases for the final year s extension of the TRS Contract.
ORDER
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the TRS Contract between Hamilton Telephone
Company dba Hamilton Telecommunications and the TRS Administrator be extended for an
additional one-year term. The final one-year extension will begin on December 1 , 2009 and
expire on November 30 2010.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the rate for traditional relay service be set at $1.
per conversation minute, and the rate for CapTel service be set at $1.58 per session minute.
These new rates shall become effective on December 1 , 2009. All other terms and conditions of
the TRS Contract will remain the same.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the TRS funding obligations of telephone
corporations shall remain at their existing level.
ORDER NO. 30840
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the TRS Administrator continue to monitor
expenditures, revenues, and FCC actions. Any time that the Administrator believes that revenues
will not cover expenditures, he is to immediately notify the Commission so that we may evaluate
whether changes in existing TRS funding obligations are necessary.
THIS IS A FINAL ORDER. Any person interested in this Order may petition for
reconsideration within twenty-one (21) days of the service date of this Order. Within seven (7)
days after any person has petitioned for reconsideration, any other person may cross-petition for
reconsideration. See Idaho Code ~ 61-626.
DONE by Order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission at Boise, Idaho this 1& fI.
day of June 2009.
~ / ~,
JIM D. MPTON RE ENT
MARSHA H. SMITH, COMMISSIONER
~--_.._'-~~~, ,
MACK A. REDFO
ATTEST:
D. Jewel
Commission Secretary
bls/O:GNR-09-04 dh
ORDER NO. 30840