Abuse of Service

The tariffs provide suspension or termination of telephone service for abuse. Abuse of service includes the use of service or facilities of SWTTC to transmit a message or to locate a person or otherwise to give or obtain information without payment of long distance charges.

Annoyance Calls

Section 42.07 of the Texas Penal Code provides that a person commits an offense if he intentionally communicates by telephone in vulgar, profane, obscene, or indecent language, in a coarse and offensive manner of threatening language and this action intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly annoys or alarms or intends to alarm the recipient; or places one or more telephone calls anonymously, at an unreasonable hour, in an offensive and repetitious manner, or without legitimate purpose and by this action intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly annoys or alarms the recipient or intends to do so. A person places a telephone call as soon as he dials a complete telephone number, whether or not a conversation ensues. Violation of this law is punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 and/or confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days.

Cramming

Placing charges on your phone bill for products or services without your authorization is known as "cramming" and is prohibited by law. SWTTC may be providing billing services for other companies, so other companies' charges may appear on your telephone bill. If you believe you were "crammed," you should contact our business office and request that we take corrective action. The Public Utility Commission of Texas requires the billing telephone company to do the following within 45 days of when it learns of the unauthorized charge:

• Notify the service provider to cease charging you for the unauthorized product or service.
• Remove any unauthorized charge from your bill.
• Refund or credit all money to you that you have paid for an unauthorized charge within 15 business days after the charge is removed from your telephone bill.

Please write or call the Public Utility Commission of Texas if SWTTC fails to resolve your request or if you would like to file a complaint. Your phone service cannot be disconnected for disputing or refusing to pay unauthorized charges. You may have additional rights under state and federal law. Please contact the Federal Communications Commission, the Attorney General of Texas, or the Public Utility Commission of Texas if you would like further information about possible additional rights.

Customer Equipment

Under the provisions of Part 68 of the Federal Communications Commission Rules and Regulations, customers may purchase their own station equipment if certain conditions are met. All terminal equipment must meet FCC requirements. Customers who provide their own terminal equipment are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their equipment. In the event customer-provided terminal equipment causes harm, SWTTC will, when practicable, notify the customer and the customer shall make such changes as shall be necessary to remove or prevent such harm. The customer shall be responsible for the payment of SWTTC charges for visits to the customer's premises where a service difficulty or trouble report results from customer-provided equipment.

Directory Errors

Great care has been exercised in the preparation of the telephone directory but SWTTC assumes no liability for damages arising from errors or omissions in the directory. In order that the directory record may contain correct listings, notification of changes or errors should be given at once to the business office.

Directory Orders

All customers are furnished with a minimum of one directory for each customer access line. Additional directories may be obtained by contacting the business office. Directories of other cities may be ordered by calling the AT&T Directory Resource Center at (800) 792-2665.

Fraud

For your protection, new equipment and procedures enable SWTTC to detect and investigate fraudulent calls. State and Federal laws provide that no person shall defraud or attempt to defraud SWTTC of its lawful charges. Violators, upon conviction, are subject to imprisonment, fine, or both.

Residential Telephone No–Call Lists

The federal government and many states have recently created an opportunity for consumers to reduce unwanted telemarketing telephone calls they receive. Consumers simply register with the National Do–Not–Call Registry by telephone at 1-888-382-1222. For TTY call 1-866-290-4236. You must call from the phone number you wish to register. You may also register by internet at www.donotcall.gov.

Inclusion of your telephone number on the National Do-Not-Call Registry will be effective three months following your registration. As a result of consumers registering on the national list, telemarketers must remove the registered consumer’s name and number from their calling lists and cease calling for five years. The National Do–Not–Call Registry is a free service to consumers.

Consumers in Texas may also register with Texas No–Call, which prevents telephone solicitations to residential and wireless phone numbers from all telemarketers operating in Texas. Consumers may register for the Texas No-Call list in three ways:

1. Online at http://www.texasnocall.com for instant registration. Utilize this easy, automated method to speed your registration. The site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Online registration is now free.
2. Call toll–free 1-866-TXNOCALL(L) (1-866-896-6225) to obtain an application or to register.
3. Send a written request for an application to:
   TEXAS NO CALL
   P.O. Box 313
   E Walpole, MA 02032

There will be a charge of $2.55 to register via telephone or standard mail for each residential or wireless phone number(s) to be included in the Texas No–Call List. Your registered telephone number(s) will remain on the list for three years from the date your residential or wireless telephone number is first published on the list.

Texas consumers may want to consider registering with the National Do–Not–Call Registry since it covers national telemarketers and the Texas No–Call affects only telemarketers operating in Texas.

The national and the Texas No–Call lists do not prevent all telemarketing calls from being received once a consumer is registered. Both registries contain exemptions on who can continue to telemarket consumers.

Nondiscrimination

SWTTC is the recipient of federal financial assistance from the Rural Development Utilities Programs, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1975, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which provide that no person in the United States on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or handicap shall be excluded from participation in, admission or access to, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any of this organization's programs or activities.

The person responsible for coordination of this organization's nondiscrimination compliance efforts is Rachel Gallegos, Compliance Officer. Any individual, or specific class of individuals, who feels that this organization has subjected them to discrimination may obtain further information about the statutes and regulations listed above from and/or file a written complaint with Gary Gilmer, President SWTTC; or the Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250; or the Administrator, USDA Rural Development Utilities Programs, Washington, DC 20250. Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the alleged discrimination. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible.

Number Ownership

The ownership of all telephone numbers is vested in SWTTC and it reserves the right to change the telephone number or numbers of the customer's telephone station or stations, or the central office prefix associated with such number or numbers, or both, as the operation of the business may require.

PUC Complaints

You have the right to file a formal or informal complaint or pursue any matter with the Public Utility Commission of Texas:

Public Utility Commission of Texas	(512) 936-7120 or (888) 782-8477 tel
1701 N Congress Av	(512) 936-7003 fax
PO Box 13326	711 or (512) 936-7136 or (800) 735-2988 TTY
Austin TX 78711-3326	customer@puc.state.tx.us

Relay Texas

The Relay Texas service relays calls between a person using a TTY or other assistive device within the State of Texas and any other telephone user. The service also allows a person without a TTY to call a TTY user. Specially trained personnel are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to relay the call. There is no extra charge for this service. Calls placed to destinations within the State of Texas will be billed at discounted rates. Long Distance calls placed through Relay Texas will be billed at Sprint rates unless the caller specifies a preferred long distance carrier. To use Relay Texas or obtain more information, call toll free:

• Blind Users. Dial (877) 826-9348.
• Computer Users. Dial (800) RELAY X1 (800-735-2991).
• HCO Users. Dial (800) RELAY TX (800-735-2989).
• Spanish-speaking Users. Dial 711 or (800) 662-4954.
• STS Users. Dial (877) 826-6607.
• TTY Users. Dial 711 or (800) RELAY TX (800-735-2989).
• VCO Users. Dial (877) VCO-1RTX (877-826-1789).
• Voice Users. Dial 711.

Contact Relay Texas Customer Service at (800) 676-3777 (TTY/voice) for additional information.

Repair Service

SWTTC repairs and maintains the telephone lines and equipment outside your home and/or business. Your inside wiring is your own responsibility unless you have the Inside Wiring Protection Plan. The following troubleshooting tips are provided in order to help you avoid costly service calls:

• Unplug all of your telephones and any other devices. Plug one telephone into a jack and check for dial tone (do not use a cordless phone for testing). If the phone works, try it at each of your jacks. If the phone does not work, try another phone.
• If you have a cordless phone, answering machine, fax machine, small dish TV receiver, or any other device which plugs into both the telephone line and the electric line, you should disconnect these devices during thunderstorms. If your phone line is out, disconnect all of these electrically-powered devices and test the line with an ordinary phone.
• If you have a cordless phone with a low battery, it may short out your entire phone line. If this is the problem, disconnect the cordless phone until you are able to replace the battery.
• If you are having a problem dialing long distance, note the exact time of the attempted call and the number you are trying to reach. SWTTC can verify that your calls are reaching your long distance carrier, but you may have to contact your carrier directly to determine why you cannot complete the call.
• If you are one of our BETRS (radio-telephone) customers and your phone is out, check your electrical circuit breakers. If your electricity goes out and comes back on, it may trip the circuit breaker connected to your BETRS unit. If this happens, your BETRS batteries will gradually go dead and your phone will go out.

Slamming

Telephone companies are prohibited by law from switching you from one telephone service provider to another without your authorization, a practice commonly known as "slamming." If you are slammed, Texas law requires the telephone company that slammed you to do the following:

• Pay all charges associated with returning you to your original telephone company within five business days of your request.
• Provide all billing records to your original telephone company within 10 business days of your request.
• Pay your original telephone company the amount you would have paid if you had not been slammed.
• Refund to you within 30 business days any amount you paid for charges during the first 30 days after the slam and any amount more than what you would have paid your original telephone company for charges after the first 30 days following the slam.

Your original telephone company is required to provide you with all the benefits (e.g., frequent flyer miles) you would have normally received for your telephone use during the period in which you were slammed.

You can immediately change your service back to your original provider by calling SWTTC if you have been slammed. You should also report the slam by writing or calling the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

You can prevent slamming by requesting a preferred telephone company freeze from SWTTC. You must give formal consent to "lift" the freeze before your phone service can be changed with a freeze in place. A freeze may apply to local toll service, long distance service, or both. The Public Utility Commission of Texas can give you more information about freezes and your rights as a customer. Please contact the Public Utility Commission of Texas if you would like further information about these additional rights.

Spanish Speakers

SWTTC has a written plan setting forth its procedures for communicating with Spanish-speaking persons. In compliance with this plan, anyone who wishes to see a written copy of the plan may do so by requesting a copy from our business office. SWTTC has bilingual service representatives available to handle complaints, billing inquiries, and repairs, upon request. Notices of new services, discount programs, promotions, and balloting are printed in English and Spanish.

SWTTC tiene un plan escrito declarando su procedimiento para comunicar con personas en espanol. De acuerdo con este plan, si alguien quiere una copia se puede pedir en la commercial office. SWTTC tiene representantes bilingue. A peticion, los representantes de reparacion y servicio le pueden ayudar con sus quejas, informacion de su cuenta y servicio. Noticias de servicio nuevo, programas de descuentos, promociones y votaciones estan escritas en ingles y espanol.

Telephone Safety

The telephone is one of the safest appliances in your home or office. There are, however, a few situations where a telephone user needs to be cautious:

• During an Electrical Storm. You should avoid using a telephone during an electrical storm in your immediate area; calls of an urgent nature should be brief. Although SWTTC uses protective measures to limit abnormal electrical surges from entering your home, absolute protection is impossible. There is a remote risk of a dangerous electrical shock from lightning when using the telephone during a nearby electrical storm.
• Near Water. The telephone should not be used while you are in a bathtub, shower, or pool. Immersion of the telephone or handset in water could cause an electrical shock.
• Reporting a Gas Leak. If you think you've found a gas leak, you should not use a telephone in the vicinity of the leak until the leak is repaired. The telephone contains electrical contacts that could generate a tiny spark when you lift the handset and dial. While unlikely, it may be possible for this spark to trigger an explosion if the gas concentration is high enough.

Texas One Call

Texas One Call is a computerized notification center which establishes a communications link between those who dig underground (excavators) and those who operate underground facilities (operators). Texas One Call is funded by members who are operators engaged in:

• Communications
• Electric Power
• Gas Distribution
• Gas Transmission and Gathering
• Products/Pipelines
• Water and Wastewater (Water and Wastewater are "Class B" facilities per HB2295 and are not required to register with a one call notification center.)

Texas One Call will determine from the excavator the location of the work. Texas One Call will notify all its members with underground facilities in the area where the excavation will take place as well as all registered notification centers in Texas. All operator members of all registered notification centers will mark their facilities in the area of the excavation. ONLY ONE CALL IS NECESSARY TO: (800) 245-4545. All messages to and from Texas One Call are recorded for the protection of both the excavator and the operators.