HomeMy WebLinkAbout20060306min.docIDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
MINUTES OF DECISION MEETING
MARCH 6, 2006 – 1:30 P.M.
In attendance were Commissioners Paul Kjellander, Marsha Smith and Dennis Hansen.
Commissioner Kjellander called the meeting to order. The first order of business was APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING on March 1st, 2006. Commissioner Kjellander moved to approve the minutes. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.
The second order of business was approval of the CONSENT AGENDA, items 2 – 4. There was no discussion. Commissioner Kjellander moved for approval of the Consent Agenda items. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.
The next order of business was MATTERS IN PROGRESS:
Grace Seaman’s March 3, 2006 Decision Memorandum re: 2005 TRS Annual Report.
Ms. Seaman reviewed her Decision Memo. Commissioner Kjellander asked Robert Dunbar, TRS Administrator, if he could live with staff’s recommendation, and he replied he had no problem with it. Commissioner Smith asked about the future of Hamilton Telecommunications, given the decline in the use of the TRS system. Mr. Dunbar replied that Hamilton’s line of business is disappearing and based on a meeting he recently attended with people in the industry, there will probably only be two suppliers in the next few months—Hamilton and Sprint. He said right now Hamilton has nine states and he didn’t see the company exiting the field.
Commissioner Smith asked if the clientele who uses the TRS is generally pleased. Mr. Dunbar responded that they are quite pleased with the traditional relay service but there have been inquiries regarding a new product called CapTel™, which provides a captioned telephone conversation and serves the hard-of-hearing audience almost cxclusively. Commissioner Smith asked if CapTel is required by either the FCC or the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Dunbar replied that right now CapTel is an option but it may become a required service in the future. He said there are currently 38 states that offer it, and Idaho is one of the 12 states that does not. He noted it costs more than traditional relay. Ms. Seaman stated that when Hamilton submitted an unsolicited proposal for CapTel a few years ago, the rates were about 25% higher than the traditional per minute cost. Mr. Dunbar said part of the price includes a piece of equipment to make the captioned conversations work, which usually costs $300 - $400 for the user, but it could be made available for $99 to the users in Idaho. He said he would like to arrange a short demonstration for the Commission to discuss the price and service itself. Commissioner Smith asked why the Commission should reduce the rates if there might be added costs for the new service coming soon. Mr. Dunbar responded that the costs can be absorbed into the budget he has submitted.
Commissioner Smith echoed staff’s compliments to Mr. Dunbar in the way he manages our TRS program. Commissioner Kjellander made a motion to adopt staff’s recommendation. He also thanked Grace Seaman for her work and echoed Commissioner Smith’s compliments to Mr. Dunbar. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.
There was no further business before the Commission and Commissioner Kjellander adjourned the meeting.
DATED this ______ day of March, 2006.
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COMMISSION SECRETARY