CHAPTER 20:10:33
SERVICE STANDARDS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES
Section
20:10:33:01 Definitions.
20:10:33:02 Level of service provided by local exchange companies.
20:10:33:03 Level of service applicable to all subscribers within an exchange.
20:10:33:04 Minimum requirements for new or replaced switching systems.
20:10:33:05 Minimum requirements for channel capacity.
20:10:33:06 Minimum levels of trunking facilities provided by interexchange companies.
20:10:33:07 Requirements for good engineering practices.
20:10:33:08 Requirement for sufficient equipment and adequate personnel.
20:10:33:09 Required documentation to show sufficient equipment and adequate personnel.
20:10:33:10 Assignment of facilities.
20:10:33:11 Charges for construction of facilities.
20:10:33:12 Records of tests and inspections.
20:10:33:13 Provisioning of adequate and reliable facilities.
20:10:33:14 Program required for testing, inspecting, and maintenance.
20:10:33:15 Repair of plant and equipment.
20:10:33:16 Leakage, loop resistance, and transmission tests.
20:10:33:17 Emergency planning.
20:10:33:18 Plan required to deal with loss of switch.
20:10:33:19 Auxiliary and battery power requirements.
20:10:33:20 Central office alarms.
20:10:33:21 Prevention of access line service interruptions -- Reestablishment of service -- Priority given to customers with medical condition and certain entities.
20:10:33:22 Maintenance service interruptions -- Notification.
20:10:33:23 Records of access line service interruptions.
20:10:33:24 Reporting of trouble reports.
20:10:33:25 Customer trouble reports.
20:10:33:26 Record of trouble reports.
20:10:33:27 Reporting requirements when 911 service is disrupted or impaired.
20:10:33:28 Reporting of service disruption or impairment.
20:10:33:29 Standards applicable under normal operating conditions.
20:10:33:30 Petition for waiver -- Granting of waiver.
20:10:33:31 Failure to pay for services other than local exchange services not grounds to terminate local exchange service.
20:10:33:32 Exemption from providing local exchange service when toll services terminated.
20:10:33:01. Definitions. Terms defined in SDCL 49-31-1 have the same meaning in this chapter. In addition, terms used in this chapter mean:
(1) "Busy hour," the hour of the day when the number of calls carried on the telecommunications company's network is the highest.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:02. Level of service provided by local exchange companies. A local exchange company shall furnish and maintain adequate and reliable plant, equipment, and facilities to provide satisfactory transmission and reception of telecommunications services among users in its service area.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:03. Level of service applicable to all subscribers within an exchange. Local exchange access line service furnished by means of line concentrators or subscriber carrier equipment in a given exchange shall be reasonably comparable to that furnished to other subscribers in that exchange served by means of normal physical loops.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:04. Minimum requirements for new or replaced switching systems. New or replacement switching systems installed after January 1, 1999, shall be capable of providing custom calling features. At a minimum, custom calling features must include call waiting, call forwarding, abbreviated dialing, caller identification, and three-way calling. New or replacement switching systems installed after January 1, 1999, shall also be capable of providing enhanced 911 service.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:05. Minimum requirements for channel capacity. A local exchange company shall maintain sufficient central office and interoffice channel capacity plus other necessary facilities to meet the following minimum requirements during any busy hour:
(1) Dial tone within three seconds for 98 percent of call attempts on the switched network;
(2) Correct termination of 98 percent of properly dialed intraoffice or interoffice calls within an extended service area; and
(3) Correct termination of 98 percent of properly dialed calls when the call is routed entirely over the network of the local exchange company.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:06. Minimum levels of trunking facilities provided by interexchange companies. Interexchange companies shall design, construct, and maintain sufficient trunking facilities so that at least 98 percent of telephone calls offered to the trunk group do not encounter an all-trunks-busy condition and 98 percent of correctly dialed toll calls are correctly terminated. All interexchange companies which use both line and trunk side connections for access shall have sufficient quantities of switched access service from the local exchange company to maintain acceptable blocking probability for each type of access. A .01 blocking probability is acceptable.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:07. Requirements for good engineering practices. The telephone plant of each telecommunications company shall be designed, constructed, installed, maintained, and operated subject to the provisions of applicable electrical safety codes and in accordance with accepted good engineering practices of the telecommunications industry to assure continuity of service, uniformity in the quality of service furnished, and the safety of persons and property.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:08. Requirement for sufficient equipment and adequate personnel. Each telecommunications company shall employ prudent management and engineering practices so that sufficient equipment and adequate personnel are available at all times, including busy hours, to respond to network and customer service problems.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:09. Required documentation to show sufficient equipment and adequate personnel. Each telecommunications company shall employ reasonable procedures for forecasting future service demand, and maintain records necessary to demonstrate to the commission that sufficient equipment is in use and that an adequate operating workforce is provided. The records shall be available for review by the commission upon request.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:10. Assignment of facilities. Each telecommunications company shall employ adequate procedures for assignment of facilities. The assignment records shall be kept up-to-date and checked periodically to determine if adjustments are necessary to maintain proper balance in all trunk and equipment groups. The records shall be available for review by the commission upon request.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:11. Charges for construction of facilities. If required as a condition of a federal Rural Utilities Service loan, a telecommunications company shall furnish telecommunications services to a customer without payment by the customer of any extra charge as a contribution to the cost of construction of facilities needed to provide the services.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:12. Records of tests and inspections. Records of various tests and inspections shall be kept on file in the office of the telecommunications company for a minimum of two years. These records shall show the plant or equipment tested or inspected, the reason for the test, the general result of the test, and any corrections made. The records shall be available for review by the commission upon request.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:13. Provisioning of adequate and reliable facilities. Each local exchange company shall employ prudent management planning practices, including budgeting and prioritization of resource utilization, so that adequate and reliable facilities are in place to supply service to prospective customers in its service territory within a reasonable period of time as determined by the commission.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:14. Program required for testing, inspecting, and maintenance. Each telecommunications company shall adopt a program of periodic tests, inspections, and preventive maintenance aimed at achieving efficient operation of its system to permit at all times the rendering of safe, adequate, and continuous service as recognized by general practices within the telecommunications industry. The programs shall be available for review by the commission upon request.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:15. Repair of plant and equipment. Each telecommunications company shall keep plant and equipment in a good state of repair consistent with safe and adequate service performance. Broken, damaged, or deteriorated parts which do not meet acceptable operating conditions shall be repaired or replaced. Adjustable apparatus and equipment shall be readjusted promptly when found by preventive routines or fault location tests to be in unsatisfactory operating condition. The presence of inductive interference, cut-offs, intelligible cross-talk, and excessive noise generation by communications system facilities during the provisioning of telecommunications services by the company are symptomatic of inadequate service, and a maintenance program shall be designed to minimize or prevent those occurrences.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:16. Leakage, loop resistance, and transmission tests. Each telecommunications company shall conduct periodic leakage tests on all circuits by use of proper instruments to determine that sufficient insulation is being maintained and to discover any service affecting change in insulation values which might cause future service difficulties. Loop resistance and transmission tests shall be made on local circuits when transmission is found to be poor in an attempt to locate the source of trouble.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:17. Emergency planning. Each telecommunications company shall make reasonable provisions to meet emergencies such as failures of power services, damaged facilities, sudden and prolonged increases in traffic, or from fire, storm, or acts of nature.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:18. Plan required to deal with loss of switch. Each local exchange company shall develop a general contingency plan to prevent or minimize any service interruptions due to the catastrophic loss of a central office switch, toll switching office, or tandem switching office. The plan shall describe the actions and systems installed to prevent or minimize the probability of such an occurrence as well as describe the actions and systems available to minimize the extent of any incurred service interruption. The plan shall be available for review by the commission upon request.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:19. Auxiliary and battery power requirements. Each local central office, toll switching office, or tandem switching office of a local exchange company shall contain a minimum of 8 hours, plus or minus 15 percent, of battery reserve rated for peak traffic load requirements. A permanent auxiliary power unit may be utilized to meet this requirement. In central offices and toll tandem switching offices, a permanent auxiliary power unit shall be installed or a mobile power source shall be available which normally can be delivered and connected within four hours. The remote terminating electronics of a local exchange company shall be equipped with a local or remote battery plant designed for a minimum of 8 hours, plus or minus 15 percent, of battery reserve rated for peak traffic load requirements. The batteries shall be tested and reported internally on a regular basis, not to exceed once a year.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:20. Central office alarms. Each central office shall be provided with alarms on a 24 hour, seven day a week basis to indicate improper functioning of telecommunications equipment. Each alarm shall be transmitted to an alarm center or to a location that will receive and respond to the alarm condition on a 24 hour, seven day a week basis. Each alarm and alarm sensor must be tested and reported internally upon installation of new equipment.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:21. Prevention of access line service interruptions -- Reestablishment of service -- Priority given to customers with medical condition and certain entities. Each local exchange company shall make all reasonable efforts to prevent interruptions of access line service. When interruptions occur, the exchange carrier shall reestablish access line service with the shortest possible delay consistent with the physical conditions encountered, the available work force, and normal safety practices. Priority shall be given to a residential customer who verifies in writing to the company that telecommunications service is essential due to an existing medical condition of the customer, a member of the customer's family, or any permanent resident of the premises where service is rendered. Priority shall also be given to an entity that verifies in writing to the company that telecommunications services are needed to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:22. Maintenance service interruptions --
Notification. Local exchange service interruptions due to maintenance
requirements shall be done at a time that causes minimal inconvenience to the
affected customers. To the extent possible, customers shall be notified in
advance by the local exchange company of interruptions due to maintenance that
will last longer than ten minutes.
Source: 25 SDR
89, effective December 27, 1998; 34 SDR 67, effective September 11, 2007.
General Authority:
SDCL 49-31-77, 49-31-85.
Law Implemented:
SDCL 49-31-3, 49-31-77, 49-31-85.
20:10:33:23. Records of access line service interruptions. Each local exchange company shall keep a record of each access line service interruption or acute irregularities of access line service if reported to it or if the duration of a found access line service interruption exceeds 24 hours. The record shall include the date, time, duration, extent, cause of the interruption, and the number of affected access lines. The local exchange company shall furnish reports to the commission upon request and shall inform the commission as soon as possible of any occurrence which apparently will result in over four hours of interruption of access line service to the smaller of 25 percent or 200 or more customers in a wire center.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:25. Customer trouble reports. When a customer's service is found to be out of order or a customer reports trouble, the local exchange company shall promptly test its facilities to determine if the problem is with the local exchange company's facilities. If it is, the local exchange company shall correct the trouble promptly. There may be no charge to the customer for testing or correcting a problem found on the local exchange company's facilities. If the trouble is found not to be in the local exchange company's facilities, the local exchange company shall notify the customer promptly.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:26. Record of trouble reports. Each local exchange company shall keep a record of trouble reports made by its customers. This record shall include appropriate identification of the customers or access line service affected, the time, date, and nature of the report, the action taken, the date and time of trouble clearance or other disposition, and the identification of the person making final disposition. The records shall be retained by the company for a minimum of two years. The local exchange company shall furnish reports to the commission upon request.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:27. Reporting requirements when 911 service is disrupted or impaired. Each local exchange company shall, immediately upon discovery, report to each 911 public safety answering point serving the affected local service areas, to the local area broadcast media serving the affected local service areas, and to the commission pertinent information concerning any specific occurrence or development which disrupts or impairs the local service area's access to the 911 service within a given 911 system. In addition, each local exchange company shall provide the public safety answering point, the local area news media, and the commission with a time estimation on when the repair to the 911 system will be completed and the 911 service restored.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:28. Reporting of service disruption or impairment. Each local exchange company shall, within one hour of discovery, report to the local area broadcast media serving the affected local serving areas and to the commission, pertinent information concerning any specific occurrence or development which disrupts or impairs the telecommunications service of the smaller of 25 percent or 750 or more customers in a local exchange area for a time period in excess of one hour. Notification is also required for complete switching system failures, isolation of remote switching modules from their host, or major service disruptions due to interoffice failures.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:29. Standards applicable under normal operating conditions. The standards in this chapter establish the minimum acceptable quality of service under normal operating conditions. The standards do not establish a level of performance to be achieved during emergencies or catastrophes, nor do the standards apply to extraordinary or abnormal conditions of operation, such as those resulting from work stoppage or civil unrest. The standards do not include all criteria and the standards do not establish the most desirable service level for any basic element. If a specific element is not covered, the telecommunications company must meet generally accepted industry standards for that element.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:30. Petition for waiver -- Granting of wavier. Upon petition of a telecommunications company, the commission may grant a waiver of any service standard contained in this chapter. In determining whether to grant a waiver, the commission may consider technical feasibility, whether the standard is unduly economically burdensome, whether the company plans to meet the standard within the near future, and other economic, technical, and public interest considerations.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:31. Failure to pay for services other than local exchange services not grounds to terminate local exchange service. Notwithstanding subdivision 20:10:10:04(4), no local exchange company may terminate local exchange service to any customer on the ground that the customer has not paid for services other than local exchange services.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
20:10:33:32. Exemption from providing local exchange service when toll services terminated.Any local exchange company unable to provide local exchange services while terminating toll services may request an exemption from the commission on an exchange by exchange basis by fully documenting the technical reasons for its inability to comply.
Source: 25 SDR 89, effective December 27, 1998.
