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EPAC February 10, 2017
Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program
Equipment Program Advisory Committee (EPAC)
February 10, 2017
Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program, Main Office
1333 Broadway St., Suite 500, Oakland, CA 94612
The Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program’s (DDTP or the Program) Equipment Program Advisory Committee (EPAC) held its monthly business meeting at the DDTP Main Office in Oakland, California.
EPAC Committee Members Present:
Keith Bonchek, Deaf Community Seat
Mussie Gebre, Deaf-Blind Community Seat
Jacqueline Jackson, Blind/Low-Vision Community Seat
Tom Mentkowski, Hard of Hearing Community Seat
Brian Pease, Mobility Impaired Community Seat
Sylvia Stadmire, Senior Citizen Community
Kenneth Rothschild, Deaf Community Seat
EPAC Non-Voting Liaisons Present:
David Kehn, CCO Department Manager
John Birznieks, CPUC, Communications Division
CCAF Staff Present:
Mary Atkins, Marketing Department Manager
Dan Carbone, Customer Contact Liaison
Jen Minore, Field Operations Manager, Northern California
Barry Saudan, President and CEO
Reina Vazquez, Committee Coordinator
Karen Evangelista, CRS Administrative Coordinator
Jackie Taylor, CCAF Director of Operations
David Weiss, CRS Department Manager
Yesenia Roman, Interim Telecommunications Equipment Specialist
Others Present:
Nadine Branch, Attendant to Jacqueline Jackson
Michelle Maher, ClearSounds
Jonathan Gray, Clarity
Sandy Gross, AFCO Electronics
EPAC Chair, Sylvia Stadmire called the meeting to order at 10:01 A.M.
I. Administrative Business
A. Introductions
The Committee Members, California Communications Access Foundation (CCAF) staff, and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC or Commission) staff introduced themselves.
B. Agenda Modification and Approval
The agenda was approved without modification.
1. Review of emergency evacuation procedures
Reina Vazquez provided a review of the emergency evacuation procedures.
C. Review of Minutes from Previous Meetings
The minutes from EPAC’s January 13, 2017 meeting were approved with corrections.
II. CPUC Update
John Birznieks, Program Analyst, Communications Division gave the CPUC Update this month representing Alan Solomon, Program and Project Supervisor. John began his report by reminding the Committee of their next meeting on March 10, 2017. With regards to the Odin VI pilot for low vision and the Blind, John informed the committee that TMobile will not be decommissioning the 2G network which had previously been scheduled to take effect on December 31, 2016. The Odin VI will remain serviceable as long as the G2 network remains serviceable. A notice was sent out to all 188 participants of the pilot informing them of this change.
With regards to distribution, John reported that as of January 31st, the Serene HearAll Bluetooth Cell Phone Amplifier has had a total of 233 units distributed, the Serene UA-50 headset for the RCx-1000 speakerphone has been distributed 34 times and the ClearSounds Quattro 4.0 lightweight Bluetooth listening system has had a total of 115 units distributed.
CD has recently approved for testing the ClearSounds Bluetooth hub and the ClearSounds A1600 Bluetooth multi-network amplified phone. CD has also approved the replacement of the CapTel 840 with the CapTel 840 Plus and the Panasonic Bluetooth multi-network amplified cordless phone as a permanent addition to the CTAP Program with the expectation to begin distribution in April.
John reported the commission has not entered into any new contracts since the last meeting in January, but he reminded the Committee that all DDTP contracts are with the state of California and are required to be competitively bid.
With regards to Marketing, there was a general Northern California marketing campaign which ran from January 3rd through January 15th and a rural campaign in Eureka, Monterey/Salinas and El Centro that ran January 17th through January 30th.
John reported with regards to speech-generating devices, that DDTP is the funder of last resort after public and private insurance. 274 applications have been received since the start of the program in 2013 and CD has approved 246 of those applications.
Lastly, John was proud to announce that on March 23rd, the CPUC will present a resolution signed by all five Commissioners, to recognize and commend Shelley Bergum for her dedication and commitment to disability rights, independent living, equality and social justice.
III. Presentation by ClearSounds
Michelle Maher introduced herself and provided some background information on the company and their relationship with the Program. She then presented the QConnect Stereo Bluetooth Transceiver, a round device that provides two-way communication between a corded or cordless phone and any Bluetooth device. The QConnect can turn any phone with a headphone jack into a Bluetooth phone and may be paired with the Quattro 4 Lite, which is already in the Program, to create a complete amplification system. Michelle then answered the many questions posed by the Committee members and meeting attendees, and thanked them for their time.
IV. Public Input
There was no public input at this time.
V. CCAF Staff Reports
I.
II.
III.
A. CRS Report
David Weiss went into more detail about the damage that the tornado caused to the Hamilton Relay Call Center in Albany, Georgia. The tornado caused considerable damage and managed to tear the roof off of the facility rendering it inoperable. Luckily, no one was seriously injured, but that Call Center has ceased operations and the calls have been routed through other Hamilton Call Centers across the country. Hamilton has now established two temporary Call Centers in Albany until a new Center can be built or the previous Center repaired. David went on to say that Hamilton’s performance has been great, as their answer time has been quick and they have been meeting all of the service level agreements that are set forth in their contract.
B. Field Operations Report
Jen Minore called the attention of the Committee to the Field Operations report on page 8-4. She went on to note that October is the busiest month of the year due to the fact that it is Disability Awareness Month. The Field Operations staff participates in more events, presentations, booths and expos in October than any other month of the year. Jen also pointed out that on page 8-5, the field visits for October tend to be lower in this month due to all of the other events in which the staff participates.
C. Marketing Report
In addition to the information provided in the binder and by John Birznieks on the recent marketing campaigns, Mary Atkins informed the Committee that there is a general campaign running in Southern California February 6th through February 19th. Beginning February 21st through March 6th there will be a rural campaign which will run in English in Eureka and in both English and Spanish in the Monterey/Salinas area and in El Centro.
Mary concluded her report by letting the Committee know that the Marketing Department is still on track for posting the 2015/2016 DDTP Annual Report by early March. Mary then told the Committee that one of the DDTP Outreach Specialists was manning a booth on February 4th in Eureka and several people who stopped by the booth mentioned that they had seen the ads from the Rural Campaign.
In response to several questions from the Committee regarding the days and times the commercials are shown, or not, Mary explained that DDTP and CD made the decision to not air commercials on days and times that the Call Center was closed because in general, people prefer to speak to a live person and not a machine. However, if a consumer does call when the Center is closed, there is a message that states the hours of operation and the website for more information. Dave Kehn added that all messages received are returned by the end of the following business day.
In response to a question about why the commercial was so generic, Mary explained that an effort was made to reach a broader audience without focusing on one disability group or another.
D. Consumer Affairs Report
Dan Carbone referred the Committee to the Consumer Affairs report in the binder and noted that he is excited about the possibility of adding the QConnect to the Program. He knows that the in the field, DDTP Customer Advisors, Outreach Specialists, and those in the Service Centers deal with many consumers who use the Federal Lifeline Program and often have very primitive phones. He feels that the QConnect may have the ability to fill the gap for our customers who don’t have access to Bluetooth on the phones they currently have.
E. Customer Contact Report
David Kehn turned the Committee’s attention to Tab 6 in the binder and reported that for the month of October the Contact Center handled 9,909 customer calls, 308 emails and 43 web chats, which was about a 16% decrease from the last Northern California marketing campaign. He then directed the Committee to page 6-8 to show that the warehouse processed 2,084 equipment orders during the month of October, which equates to an average of about 99 orders a day.
Moving on to the Barcode Report on page 6-29, David informed the Committee that during the month of October 16,231 certification forms were distributed with 1,959 forms being returned, a 5% increase over the previous month. He then went on to say that the Outreach staff through booths and exhibits, distributed 4,467 certification forms, the highest number since October of 2015.
Dave concluded his report by thanking the Field Operations staff for a job well done and informed the Committee that in October, 1,686 new customers were added to the Program.
F. Equipment Report
David Kehn began the equipment report by informing the Committee that after lunch the equipment department would be presenting two pieces of equipment that are currently being distributed in the Program. He then went on to discuss the current pilot testing of the Clarity D704 lightweight handset cordless phone and the clear power battery backup by ClearSounds. This device began distribution in August and as of January 31st, a total of 333 of the 360 units have been distributed with a report on the pilot anticipated for mid-April.
With regards to cell phone accessories, both the Quattro 4.0 Bluetooth Neckloop and the HearAll Bluetooth cell phone amplifier began full time distribution in August and as of January 31st, the Program has distributed 115 units of the Neckloop and 233 units for the HearAll.
David Kehn then explained that side by side internal staff testing of the Romet and TruTone artificial larynx devices has been concluded. The Customer Contact Operations department has now begun testing with consumers and is anticipating the report to show the testing results by March.
In conclusion of his report, David informed the Committee that the fully voice operated speakerphone, the Penguin Phone has begun re-testing due to a substantial software update.
G. Wireless Report
David Kehn added to what John Birznieks reported on regarding the decommissioning of the G2 network. The participants of the Odin VI pilot were notified that TMobile reversed course and decided to keep the G2 network active, so pilot participants can continue to use their phones. David concluded his report by letting the Committee know that he doesn’t know when the G2 network will be decommissioned, only that there are no immediate plans to do so.
VI. Lunch 11:19 AM – 12:32 PM
VII. Committee Member Equipment Update
David Kehn began the Equipment Update by introducing Yesenia Roman as the Interim Telecommunications Equipment Specialist. Yesenia has been working as a Customer Advisor in the Berkeley Service Center for a year and a half. Dave then turned the presentation over to Yesenia.
Yesenia presented the Committee with two pieces of equipment that are currently being distributed in the Program, the CSC 500 by ClearSounds and the Vocally 3 Infinity VAD, or Voice Activated Dialer by ActiVocal.
The CSC 500 is an amplified, line-powered speakerphone with eight large programmable photo buttons that can link a telephone number with a picture or photograph. This phone began distribution in March of 2011 and is suited for people who are hard of hearing, have low vision, limited mobility or trouble remembering. CTAP has distributed 115 units of the CSC 500 in the last four months.
Moving on to the next piece of equipment, Yesenia informed the Committee that the VAD is used by consumers who have a strong and consistent voice with low vision, learning disabilities or problems remembering. This device uses an AC adapter, stores up to 45 names and numbers and works with all standard telephones including cordless telephones and speakerphones. The Vocally 3 began distribution in March of 2010 and in the last 4 months, 18 VADs have been distributed.
VIII. EPAC Business
A. Report from the Chair
Sylvia Stadmire asked Barry if there was any current legislation being discussed that would impact the DDTP. Barry responded by letting Sylvia know that he wasn’t aware of any new legislation, but he reported that regarding AB2395, DDTP provided the CPUC with comments from the Committee to dispute that bill.
B. Review of Action Items List
Action Item #7: CCAF will work with Patsy and the Committee to draft a letter suggesting modifications to CD regarding the Home Aware Kit by Sonic Alert. The intent of the letter is for CD to inquire if improvements can be made to the product before EPAC considers recommendation for testing and inclusion in the Program.
Dave Kehn addressed this item and reported that Sonic Alert has confirmed the receipt of the letter and they appreciate the feedback from the Committee. He is awaiting an official response and when he receives it, he will forward it to the Committee. This Item remains open.
Action Item #9: Mussie would like to contact a representative from Humanware to have a presentation in regards to a new touch screen with Braille keyboard tablet and to learn whether the tablet is suitable to add to the program, now or in the future.
Mussie Gebre reported that he was able to speak with a representative of Humanware and provided them with contact information for Reina Vazquez, Committee Coordinator. Mussie explained that Humanware was presenting at the CSUN Conference in early March and he submitted a proposal to the CPUC with the hope that he would be able to attend. This Action Item remains open.
Action Item #10: CCAF will work with Reina and Tom to contact Wavio to request a presentation.
Tom Mentkowski initiated communication with Hz Innovations, the creators of Wavio and received a call back from one of their engineers. Tom then passed that information on to David Weiss who will further discuss the product to see whether or not it’s a good fit for the Program. David will report back to Tom and if it is suitable, Reina will be in touch with Hz Innovations to set up a presentation. This Action Item remains open.