20230215TRS Administrators Annual Report 2022.pdf

Id a o
Re la y
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)Administrator's Annual Report
Idaho TRS Fund
January 1 -December 31, 2022
Revenues
Revenues collected in all of 2022 totaled $112,741 with $51,805 being received from local
exchange services and $60,936 was received from MTS/WATS services. The starting balance
was $121,352.80 as of 1/1/2022,and the final balance was $97,999.23 as of 12/31/2022.The
current rate is $.05 per local exchange line service and $0.001 for Message Telecommunication
Services (MTS)/Wide Area Telephone Service (WATS)services as of May 1,2021.
2022 ITRS Revenue
Local Exchange
Quarter Services %MTS/WATS %TOtal
1 $11,737 44 14,859 56 $26,596
2 $13,230 47 15,089 53 $28,319
3 $12,608 44 16,028 56 $28,636
4 $14,230 48.75 14,961 51.25 $29,191
Total $51,805 46%$60,936 112,742
Call and Line Count
in 2022,providers and carriers reported the following to Idaho TRS:
87,700 monthly average local exchange lines or 1,053,324 approximate total reported across
the entire year.
60,936,000 approximate long distance minutes (6.4 %decrease)reported throughout 2022.
RECEIVED
2023 February 15
IDAHO PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION
CASE NO. GNR-T-23-02
Lines and Minutes Chart
Year Lines Change from Minutes Change frompreviousyearpreviousyear
2022 87,700 1.6 %decrease 60,936,000 6.4 %decrease
2021 89,110 30%decrease 65,058,266 21%decrease
2020 126,760 41%decrease 82,015,033 18%decrease
2019 215,423 15%decrease 100,128,800 20%decrease
2018 253,004 15%decrease 125,050,000 less than 1%
increase
2017 297,462 24%decrease 124,961,000 21%decrease
2016 391,132 3%increase 158,535,000 23%decrease
2015 377,860 1%decrease 205,405,200 17%increase
Attachment A -Zero Reporting
86 telecommunications companies filed $0 reports in 2022 on a monthly,quarterly,or annual
basis.
Disbursements -Hamilton Relay
Total disbursements to Hamilton Relay for the provision of all-encompassing
telecommunications relay services (TRS)for the year were $93,972.77.
Attachment B -Hamilton Relay Disbursements
A total of 1102 completed calls were placed throughoutthe year,and 2022 experienced
decreases in usage of TRS by about 10 %,CTRS decreased by about 58%,and Advanced STS
usage more than quadrupled.
Session Minutes
In 2022,3,154.71 Session Minutes were reported for Captioned Telephone Relay Service,
13,624.04 Session Minutes for TRS,and 176.44 Session Minutes for Advanced Speech to
Speech Minutes.
Average Speed of Answer
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)is a key performance indicator for TRS and CapTel which is
when a call reaches the relay switchboard and how long it takes to be answered by a
Communication Assistant.The ASA for 2022 was calculated as an average of 0.39 seconds for
which it has returned closer to typical when it was recorded as 0.41 seconds in 2019.During the
height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2020),the ASA was reported closer to .85
seconds.
Administrative Fees and Expenses
Administrative Fees and Expenses totaled $39,900 for 2022 for TRS Administrator Kathleen
Toohill consulting in addition to a $200 reimbursement for payment of NASRA annual
membership dues for 2022-2023.
Attachment C -Administrator Billing
Funds
Starting Balance January 1,2022 -$121,352.80
Q1 Balance (3/31)Q2 Balance (6/30)Q3 Balance (9/30)Q4 Balance (12/31)
$121,352.80 $105,767.83 $100,062.35 $97,999.23
Recommendations and Overview
ldaho TRS went through a request for proposal process during 2022 and has entered year 1 of
a 3 year contract which was mutually agreed upon with Hamilton Relay and the Advisory
Committee of the Telephone Industry as statute requires.Idaho Relay will provide TRS,
CapTel,and Speech to Speech Services as in the past.Nationally,all states are experiencing a
drop in traditional relay service and captioned telephone relay service because of migration to
Internet Protocol (IP)Relay and Video Relay Services.The focus by the Advisory Committee of
the Telephone Industry for this next time period is to focus on the digital transition in
coordination with Hamilton Relay.
Attachment D -TRS Budget Worksheet
LEC and MTS/WATS
From Order #34988 dated May 1,2021,the rates of contribution to ITRS were raised to $0.05
per line and $0.001 per long distance minute.
The following are options in 2023:
Option 1 -Continue the present rates of contribution to ITRS at $0.05 per line and $0.001 per
minute.
With the trend of recent years of diminishing inventory of landlines,2023 Local Exchange Lines
can potentially be estimated to be about 78,300 and long distance minutes reported as
52,842,400.These forecasted numbers could be dramatically different than estimated due to
the upcoming digital transition.Revenue could be estimated with the current contributions and
current rates for ITRS to be approximately $92,146.With a 2023 budget estimate of $142,350
and a 2023 year-end fund balance which could conceivably fall around $50,000.
Option2 -Continue with the current long distance per minute rate of $0.001 while raising the
per line rate to a range somewhere between $0.06 or $0.10 per line to try and level out the
contributions to closer to 50%of LEC lines and MTS/WATS.Raising the LEC rate to $0.07 or
$0.08 would balance the contribution percentage and should allow a fund balance of about
$65,00-70,000.
(Note:rate change would occur almost halfway through the year which affects how much is
projected due to delay in reporting and payments.There is a lag in reporting month by
telecommunications companies monthly but especially when the companies report quarterly.)
With a long distance per minute rate (currently assessed at $0.001):
Option3 --If both rates were raised,the contributions would be less balanced,however the
fund balance would end up higher.When the MTS/WATS rate is raised the payments seem to
fall on just a few companies,resulting in very high payments from just a few companies.If
further breakdown is desired,then I would be able to provide this in more detail.
For further breakdowns of local exchange lines/long distance minute splits,fund balance
projections,and revenue breakdowns,please see Attachment E -ITRS Projections.
The Administrator will continue to monitor all areas of relay with respect to meeting standards
for the FCC,NASRA,and Hamilton Relay while continuing to work closely with the Idaho Public
Utilities Commission.