N.J. Admin. Code § 14:10-1A.8 - Service quality standards

(a) This section establishes service quality standards that a telephone utility shall meet. These standards apply without exception, regardless of seasonality, weather, work stoppage, accident, sabotage, acts of God or nature, or any other reason. The Board may, however, after investigation, suspend application of any provision of this chapter for periods of emergency, catastrophe, natural disaster, severe storm or other extraordinary events beyond the control of a utility.

(b) A telephone utility shall meet the following minimum service quality standards regarding installations of service:

1. Seventy-five percent of regular service installations shall be completed within five working days after the utility receives the request for service, unless a later date is requested by the applicant;

2. Eighty-eight percent of the commitments made to customers, as to the date of installation of regular service, shall be met, unless the customer causes a delay; and

(c) A telephone utility shall meet the following requirements regarding calls requesting a live operator:

1. Eighty-five percent of repair service calls shall be answered within 20 seconds;

2. Eighty-five percent of operator calls (that is, calls assisted by a live operator) shall be answered within 10 seconds; and

3. Seventy-eight percent of directory assistance calls shall be answered within 10 seconds.

(d) An "answer" under (c) above shall mean that the operator or representative is ready to render assistance and/or ready to accept the information necessary to process the call. An acknowledgment that the customer is waiting on the line shall not constitute an "answer."

(e) A telephone utility shall meet the following requirements regarding dial service, measured as Statewide monthly averages:

1. Ninety-five percent of dialed local calls shall be completed without encountering an all trunk busy or equipment irregularity; and

2. Ninety-five percent of originating direct-dialed toll calls shall reach the toll network without experiencing blockage or failure.

(f) Each telephone utility shall ensure that its Statewide average rate of customer trouble reports to the utility shall not exceed eight per 100 lines per month.

(g) All customer loops shall meet the resistance design standards and trunk facilities shall conform to the transmission design factors required for meeting the objectives of direct distance dialing.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 14:10-1A.8

Recodified and Amended by 47 N.J.R. 489(a), effective 2/17/2015 Amended by 54 N.J.R. 1427(a), effective 7/18/2022