§ 17.5-24. Minimum customer service standards.

Minimum customer service standards (as adopted by the FCC pursuant to the Cable Act) are as follows:

(1)

Office hours and telephone availability.

a.

The cable operator will maintain a local, toll-free or collect call telephone access line which will be available to its subscribers twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.

1.

Trained company representatives will be available to respond to customer telephone inquiries during normal business hours.

2.

After normal business hours, the access line may be answered by a service or an automated response system, including an answering machine. Inquiries received after normal business hours must be responded to by a trained company representative on the next business day.

b.

Under normal operating conditions, telephone answer time by a customer representative, including wait time, shall not exceed thirty (30) seconds when the connection is made. If the call needs to be transferred, transfer time shall not exceed thirty (30) seconds. These standards shall be met no less than ninety (90) percent of the time under normal operating conditions, measured on a quarterly basis, and, if requested, the results submitted to the county.

c.

The operator will not be required to obtain equipment or perform surveys to measure compliance with the telephone answering standards in this subsection unless an historical record of the complaints taken by the county indicates a clear failure to comply.

d.

Under normal operating conditions, the customer will receive a busy signal less than three (3) percent of the time.

e.

Customer service center and bill payment locations in the county will be open at least during normal business hours and will be conveniently located.

(2)

Installations, outages and service calls. Under normal operating conditions, each of the following five (5) standards will be met no less than ninety-five (95) percent of the time measured on a quarterly basis:

a.

Standard installations will be performed within seven (7) business days after an order has been placed. Standard installations are those that are located up to one hundred twenty-five (125) feet from the existing distribution system.

b.

Excluding conditions beyond the control of the operator, the cable operator will begin working on service interruptions promptly and in no event later than twenty-four (24) hours after the interruption becomes known. The cable operator must begin actions to correct other service problems the next business day after notification of the service problem.

c.

The appointment window alternatives for installation activities will be either a specific time or, at maximum, a four-hour time block during normal business hours. (The operator may schedule service calls and other installation activities outside of normal business hours for the express convenience of the customer.)

d.

An operator may not cancel an appointment with a customer after the close of business on the business day prior to the scheduled appointment.

e.

If a cable operator representative is running late for an appointment with a customer and may not be able to keep the appointment as scheduled, the customer will be contacted. The appointment may be rescheduled, as necessary, at a time which is convenient for the customer.

(3)

Notifications to subscribers.

a.

The cable operator shall provide written information on each of the following areas at the time of installation of service, at least annually to all subscribers, and at any time upon request:

1.

Products and services offered;

2.

Prices and options for programming services and conditions of subscription to programming and other services;

3.

Installation and service maintenance policies;

4.

Instructions on how to use the cable service;

5.

Channel positions of programming carried on the system; and

6.

Billing and complaint procedures, including the address and telephone number of the county's cable office or the county administrator's office.

b.

Customers will be notified of any changes in rates, programming services or channel positions as soon as possible in writing. Notice must be given to subscribers a minimum of thirty (30) days in advance of such changes if the change is within the control of the cable operator. In addition, the cable operator shall notify subscribers thirty (30) days in advance of any significant changes in the other information required by subsection (3)a of this section.

(4)

Billing.

a.

Bills will be clear, concise and understandable. Bills must be fully itemized, with itemizations including but not limited to basic and premium service charges and equipment charges. Bills also will clearly delineate all activity during the billing period, including optional charges, rebates and credits.

b.

In case of a billing dispute, the cable operator must respond to a written complaint from a subscriber within thirty (30) days.

(5)

Refunds. Refund checks will be issued promptly, but not later than either:

a.

The customer's next billing cycle following resolution of the request or thirty (30) days, whichever is earlier; or

b.

The return of the equipment supplied by the cable operator if service is terminated.

(6)

Credits. Credits for service will be issued no later than the customer's next billing cycle following the determination that a credit is warranted. At the request of the customer, credit or refund will be issued to the subscriber for each day cable service is not provided if the service interruption exceeds twenty-four (24) hours after notification of the service problem.

(Ord. No. 01-15, 8-7-2001)