Az-fcc re-Certification Application
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Call Processing Procedures
- CapTel Emergency Calling
- Two-Line CapTel Emergency Calling
- Training and Support Materials
- Caller Disconnects Before Connecting to 911 Center
- A.5 STS Called Numbers §64.604 (a) (5) STS called numbers.
- Technical Standards B.1 ASCII and Baudo t §64.604
- B.2 Speed of Answer §64.604
- §64.604 (b) (ii) (B) Abandoned calls shall be included in the speed-of-answer calculation.
- §64.604 (b) (ii) (D) The system shall be designed to a P.01 standard.
- (b) (ii) (E) A LEC shall provide the call attempt rates and the rates of calls blocked between the LEC and the TRS facility to relay administrators and TRS providers upon request.
- B.3 Equal Access to Interexchange Carriers §64.604
- Correctional Facilities
| §64.604(a)(4) Emergency call handling requirements for TTY-based TRS providers. TTY-based TRS providers must use a system for incoming emergency calls that, at a minimum, automatically and immediately transfers the caller to an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). An appropriate PSAP is either a PSAP that the caller would have reached if he had dialed 911 directly, or a PSAP that is capable of enabling the dispatch of emergency services to the caller in an expeditious manner.
Arizona Relay Service accepts incoming emergency calls, and automatically and immediately transfers a call to an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Through its contract with Sprint, Arizona Relay Service has access to the following:
Call Processing Procedures Arizona Relay Service uses the following procedures to ensure that TRS users needing emergency services receive prompt assistance with their call.
Back up Procedures Through their contract with Sprint, Arizona Relay Service has access to an upgraded PSAP solution that has proven extremely accurate, resulting in few instances of PSAP routing errors. In many instances, two numbers are provided for each rate center. If one of the numbers fails, the second number is dialed. In the event that a valid number is not available, the CA will contact Directory Assistance for support. CapTel Emergency Calling When calling 911 using a one-line CapTel phone, the call is processed in the same way as a 911 call processed when using a standard telephone.
Two-Line CapTel Emergency Calling Because Two-Line CapTel uses separate voice and data connections, it offers the most efficient way to access Emergency Services via 911 response Centers. The Two-Line CapTel user is connected directly to 911 on a standard voice connection. The captions are connected on the second line. This procedure means that the call is connected in the fastest time, to the most appropriate 911 Center every time, with a reliable voice grade connection and with full speed captions. Training and Support Materials Arizona Relay Service CAs and Supervisors receive in-depth training on all emergency processes and procedures. This training is reinforced through on-going refresher training where Call Center staff must demonstrate knowledge and proficiency of Emergency processes and procedures. Supervisors or Operations Administrators are available 24/7/365 to assist CAs when an emergency call occurs. CAs also have immediate access to call processing steps via an online help screen and position reference guide.
There are many things that can happen during an emergency call, which require immediate action outside traditional call processing. The following processes were established for many of these “variations” to guide CAs and the Call Center staff on how to proceed: Caller Disconnects Before Connecting to 911 Center If the inbound caller disconnects prior to being connected to 911, the Phoenix system will continue dialing to the PSAP/emergency call center. The CA or Supervisor will notify the PSAP Call Center of the premature disconnect and will provide any customer information that may assist the PSAP center in resolving the emergency. If a customer calls into the TRS center, types “HELP GA” and hangs up, we will treat this as an Emergency call. Since the customer does not give an emergency service name, Sprint always connects the caller to the police. The CA will notify the Supervisor who, in turn, calls the police and passes on all known information about the call. The CA will also fill out an Emergency Incident Form as a record. The police will make the determination as to what kind of emergency it is and will dispatch the required emergency service.
If a voice customer misdials 711 when actually they require assistance through 911, the CA will say to the inbound voice: “You have connected to a telephone relay service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. If possible, you should hang up and dial 911. If not, we can attempt to connect you to a 911 center near your assigned telephone number, but there could be significant delay in getting assistance.” When the voice caller does not disconnect, requests further assistance, and/or remains online for more than five seconds after the notification phrase is read the CA will attempt to complete the call to connect the caller to emergency services. The CA will inform the caller, "I am connecting your call to Emergency Services, one moment please."
Arizona Relay Service offers the ability for STS users to maintain a record of regularly called names and telephone numbers. Arizona Relay Service’s speed dialing functionality (frequently dialed numbers) allows Relay users to store up to 30 frequently called telephone numbers in their Customer Profile. This information, along with other preferences described below, will be transferred to any new STS provider. When the STS user calls into the center, the user can simply provide the CA the “short-hand” name or code associated with that number instead of the entire 10-digit number. For example, a caller can simply request, “Please call mom,” the STS CA will repeat the name and state the telephone number and then dial the associated ten-digit telephone number without delay.
Arizona Relay Service does not provide, contract to provide, or oversee VRS services and is exempt from this section. §64.604 (7) International calls. VRS calls that originate from an international IP address will not be compensated, with the exception of calls made by a U.S. resident who has pre-registered with his or her default provider prior to leaving the country, during specified periods of time while on travel and from specified regions of travel, for which there is an accurate means of verifying the identity and location of such callers. For purposes of this section, an international IP address is defined as one that indicates that the individual initiating the call is located outside the United States. Arizona Relay Service does not provide, contract to provide, or oversee VRS services and is exempt from this section. Technical Standards
Arizona Relay Service contracts with Sprint to provide Baudot (45.5 and 50), Turbocode, Enhanced Turbocode (E-Turbo) and all ASCII rates generally in use. Upon a call being received at the CA position, TTY signals are automatically identified as Baudot, Turbocode or ASCII; if ASCII, the Baud rate is detected. Outbound calls are dialed out in voice mode so both the CA and hearing user (if applicable) can hear the progress of the call. If the phone is answered by a modem, the software will automatically switch to the appropriate mode of Baudot or ASCII based on the tone heard without intervention from the CA. If the call is answered by a voice person, the CA will request the text device if a voice user originated the call. B.2 Speed of Answer §64.604 (2) Speed of answer. (i) TRS providers shall ensure adequate TRS facility staffing to provide callers with efficient access under projected calling volumes, so that the probability of a busy response due to CA unavailability shall be functionally equivalent to what a voice caller would experience in attempting to reach a party through the voice telephone network. Arizona Relay Service contracts with Sprint, who currently has 13 TRS and CapTel centers across the U.S. Having access to this number of centers ensures adequate staffing for TRS and CapTel calls. Sprint samples the average answer time a minimum of every 15 minutes for each 24-hour period. Their Traffic Management Control Center (TMCC) is staffed with workforce analysts who understand call processes, call volumes, distribution patterns, contract requirements and call routing, thus ensuring exemplary service. Sprint’s Workforce Analysts develop staffing requirements for each center monthly, daily and in 15-minute increments. These center staffing lines are a management tool, which provides Workforce Analysts and each center with the following:
§64.604 (b) (2) ((ii) TRS facilities shall, except during network failure, answer 85% of all calls within 10 seconds by any method which results in the caller's call immediately being placed, not put in a queue or on hold. The ten seconds begins at the time the call is delivered to the TRS facility's network. A TRS facility shall ensure that adequate network facilities shall be used in conjunction with TRS so that under projected calling volume the probability of a busy response due to loop trunk congestion shall be functionally equivalent to what a voice caller would experience in attempting to reach a party through the voice telephone network. A requirement of the Arizona Relay Service contract with Sprint is 85% of all calls be placed within 10 seconds. “Speed of answer” identifies the number of seconds required to answer a call. Arizona Relay Service’s CapTel speed of answer meets or exceeds the FCC’s requirement to answer 85% of all calls within 10 seconds. Arizona Relay Service expects Sprint will continue to review TRS and CapTel data to determine trends, taking into account any call affecting issues such as weather, holidays or technical problems. Utilizing this information, Sprint develops a Network forecast for each upcoming scheduling week. Sprint also reviews each center’s results for the previous six-weeks, as well as anticipated changes in staffing levels to determine each center’s capacity to handle forecasted calls. Once the forecast has been determined, Sprint ensures total network traffic is accounted for by each of the centers. By continually monitoring current capacity with regards to trunking, CA workstations, staffing and equipment lag time between anticipated need and actual need will be minimized.
Arizona Relay Service considers the call delivered when the Relay Center’s equipment accepts the call from the LEC, and the public switched network actually delivers the call to the TRS Center. Sprint furnishes the necessary telecommunications equipment, facilities, and system software for the complete TRS operation. Sprint is a certified Interexchange Carrier (IXC) in all 50 states. Sprint’s transmission circuits meet, and in most cases, exceed the ANSI T1.506-1990 Network Performance – Transmission Specifications for Switched Exchange Access Network standards.
Through its contract with Sprint, ARIZONA RELAY SERVICE includes abandoned calls in its daily speed-of-answer performance calculations. §64.604 (b) (ii) (C) A TRS provider's compliance with this rule shall be measured on a daily basis. Sprint measures its compliance with average speed-of-answer times on a daily basis and reports this information to Arizona Relay Service on a monthly basis. §64.604 (b) (ii) (D) The system shall be designed to a P.01 standard. Arizona Relay Service, through its TRS contract with Sprint, ensures that all relay call centers are provided with sufficient facilities and staffing to provide a Grade of Service (GOS) of P.01 or better for calls entering the call center switch equipment during the busiest hour. Sprint’s Relay system ensures that an excess of 99.99 percent of all calls reach the call center and are answered or receive a ringing signal. §64.604 (b) (ii) (E) A LEC shall provide the call attempt rates and the rates of calls blocked between the LEC and the TRS facility to relay administrators and TRS providers upon request. Performance of inbound traffic on each State relay toll-free number where it enters the Sprint network or relay center facility is measured continuously and reported both daily and monthly. These measurements, which include traffic volume and blockage data, are compiled into a monthly report available to the state. §64.604 (b) (iii) Speed of answer requirements for VRS providers are phased-in as follows: by January 1, 2006, VRS providers must answer 80% of all calls within 180 seconds, measured on a monthly basis; by July 1, 2006, VRS providers must answer 80% of all calls within 150 seconds, measured on a monthly basis; and by January 1, 2007, VRS providers must answer 80% of all calls within 120 seconds, measured on a monthly basis. Abandoned calls shall be included in the VRS speed of answer calculation. Arizona Relay Service does not oversee VRS services, does not contract with a VRS provider to provide VRS services to customers, and is exempt from this section. B.3 Equal Access to Interexchange Carriers
Arizona TRS and CapTel users have equal access to their chosen IXC through Relay to the same extent access is provided to voice users. TRS and CapTel users are encouraged to register their preferred Carrier-of-Choice (COC) with Customer Service. Users who have not registered their preferred COC are encouraged to contact the toll-free telephone support (Customer Service) to complete their registration. All new CapTel phones come with a COC card packaged with the equipment. Users are responsible for filling out the card or contacting CapTel Customer Service to receive the benefits of registering their COC preferences for CapTel calls. Voice-in users calling CapTel users are also notified that their call may incur long distance charges. After connecting to the CapTel voice-in Voice Response Unit (VRU) and entering the phone number of the CapTel user they wish to call, they may receive a verbal announcement stating that their call may include long distance charges. Arizona Relay relies on Sprint Accessibility to provide its Relay customers with both the technical and operational capability to send and receive COC calls to and from other providers. Sprint Accessibility’s network has the capability to permit users to select the IXC or LEC of their choice in accordance with State and Federal law. Sprint Accessibility provides the necessary network connections and signaling information in compliance with the standards accepted by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) titled “ATIS-0300084, Telecommunications Relay Service” (July 2006) for carriers to accurately bill and rate Relay calls. Sprint Accessibility routes calls to the designated carrier in as efficient a manner as possible. Sprint Accessibility includes the identification of the call as a Relay call, the end user calling number, the called number, and additional information describing the nature of the calling line (e.g., payphone). Calls not requiring operator assistance are routed to the carrier's non-operator switch. Calls involving alternate billing (e.g., card, collect, third party) involve the operator services position of the carrier. Again, Sprint Accessibility provides as much information as possible to the operator services position of the transport carrier through network signaling. Efficient provision of routing to the carrier minimizes the call set-up time associated with the Relay call. Sprint Accessibility encouraged all Carriers to participate in its COC program. When the requested Carrier was not a COC participant, Sprint Accessibility had established a procedure where the Carrier was notified, verbally and in writing, of its obligation to provide access to relay users and encouraged their participation. Outlined below was the process used by CAs to process COC calls and subsequent instructions to relay callers: Sprint Accessibility CA answers the call The caller provides the toll-call information. The caller provides preferred Carrier information either registered in the user database or for a specific call. If the preferred Carrier is not available through the Relay, the CA informs the caller with the standard phrase: “I AM SORRY (carrier) DOES NOT ALLOW (billing method) CALLS OVER THEIR NETWORK.” The user may choose to have another Carrier handle the call. Sprint Accessibility then informs the unavailable Carrier of its obligation to provide access through the Relay Service. The CA out dials the call utilizing the preferred Carrier. If no Carrier is specified, the call will be carried over the Sprint Accessibility network. The called-party answers the call. The CA relays the COC call between the caller and the called-party.
As part of our overall corporate technology evolution to provide all of our customers with communications delivered in a cost-effective, high performance manner, Sprint has already decommissioned aging infrastructure whose upkeep costs our customers more. For all of our Relay users, this also means simpler and quicker call set-up. In August of 2016, Sprint received a waiver of end user selection of carrier from the FCC. As a result, Sprint is offering domestic and international calling at no charge with no long distance fees or long distance call billing for all TRS and CTS users through Arizona Relay service. Sprint’s optimal approach provides less cost to the end user, fewer billable minutes to the State, greater functional equivalence, and fewer customer complaints. Sprint’s approach as a global telecommunication provider includes the following benefits for Arizona Relay and its end users:
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