§ 58-4.620. Telephone communication services.

(1)

Each cable operator shall render efficient telephone communication service, sufficiently staffed by knowledgeable, courteous personnel.

(2)

Customer Service Response. At a minimum, a cable operator shall have on duty a sufficient number of customer service representatives available to handle customer calls during normal business hours. During times not handled by customer service representatives, each system must have a capable answering service for repair requests or service complaints. Answering machines are not acceptable, except for automated response units that are used to process and route calls to on-duty personnel of the cable operator.

(3)

Telephone System Requirements. Each cable operator shall at all times provide a telephone system meeting the following requirements:

(a)

Each cable operator shall maintain a phone system for purposes of promptly responding to telephone calls. Telephone numbers for customer service shall be listed in a local telephone directory. All telephone lines for customer service shall be toll free to subscribers within the franchise area.

(b)

Knowledgeable, qualified customer service representatives shall be available to respond to customer telephone inquiries during normal business hours.

(c)

Under normal operating conditions, during normal business hours, telephone answer time by a customer service representative, including wait time, and the time required to transfer the call, shall not exceed thirty seconds. Those systems which utilize automated answering and distributing equipment shall limit the number of routine rings to four or fewer. Systems not utilizing automated equipment shall make every effort to answer incoming calls as promptly as the automated systems. Under normal operating conditions, the customer shall receive a busy signal less than three percent of the total time that the telephone system is staffed by customer service representatives. These standards shall be met no less than ninety percent of the time measured quarterly.

(d)

Each cable operator shall, by means of automatic monitoring equipment, track all customer service telephone calls and prepare quarterly summaries of all calls according to the criteria listed in subsection (3)(c) of this section. Such report shall be delivered to the county annually and, in addition, as agreed to in the franchise agreement.

(e)

In cases of major system outages or major service interruption, a cable operator may provide a recorded message informing customers of the problem and a reasonable estimate under the circumstances of the correction time as long as customers are still able to reach a customer service representative.

(f)

In cases where a cable operator's existing telephone system cannot demonstrate compliance with the standards set forth in subsection (3)(c) or (3)(d) of this section, the franchise agreement may specify comparable criteria for the cable operator's telephone system and the time frame for compliance with the standards set forth in this section.

(Ords. 2006-65 § 3, 93-55).