Inmate Calling Services - HI PUC - complaints/grievances

Beryl Lipton filed this request with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission of Hawaii.
Submitted Nov. 5, 2015
Status
Completed

From: Beryl Lipton

Subject: None

Fax

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to Hawaii's Uniform Information Practices Code, I hereby request the following records:

All complaints, grievances, related spreadsheets/databases, investigation reports, evaluations, invoices, directives and guidelines (local, state, or federal), and any other relevant material regarding inmate calling services, video visitation services, electronic communications, or any other communication service primarily intended to serve or currently serving incarcerated individuals, their associates, or correctional facilities.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Beryl C.D. Lipton

From: PUC

Subject: FW: Request for records

Email

Ms. Lipton,

Your request may have been sent to us in error, since we do not regulate correctional facilities. In addition, further description or clarification is necessary to identify the specific records you are requesting. For these reasons, we will consider this matter closed, unless further description or clarification is received from you.

Sincerely,
PUC Staff

Confidentiality: The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipients named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this message in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by reply e-mail or by telephone (808/586-2020). Any personal opinions expressed in this message do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Public Utilities Commission.

From: Beryl Lipton

Subject: None

Email

Hi there,

Thank you for your message. I would like to keep this request open, and I hope that I can provide some clarity regarding my question. According to complaint #326509 from the FCC's collection of Inmate Services Complaints (https://muckrock.s3.amazonaws.com/foia_files/2015/10/23/2015-806_Lipton_Final_Docs_Complete.pdf), a complaint regarding a Hawaiian telecommunications company was issued. In other situations regarding correctional institutions, the FCC will refer the consumer to the state's public utilities commission. Would there be a more appropriate agency that would handle such matters?

Thanks so much for your help,
Beryl

From: PUC

Subject: FW: Uniform Information Practices Code Request: Inmate Calling Services - HI PUC - complaints/grievances

Email

Dear Ms. Lipton:

Re: Uniform Information Practices Act Request Regarding Inmate Calling Services

This responds to your email of November 9, 2015, requesting access to government records of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (“Commission”), pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes, chapter 92F, Uniform Information Practices Act. The request seeks the following:

“All complaints, grievances, related spreadsheets/databases, investigation reports, evaluations, invoices, directives and guidelines (local, state, or federal), and any other relevant material regarding inmate calling services, video visitation services, electronic communications, or any other communication service primarily intended to serve or currently serving incarcerated individuals, their associates, or correctional facilities.”

Pursuant to your request, we have attached the following:

1. Hawaii Administrative Rules, chapter 6-82, subchapter 7, “Institutional Pay Telephone Service;”

2. Order No. 31749, filed on December 18, 2013, adopting certain requirements in the event that any non‑incumbent telecommunications carrier chooses to provide inmate intrastate telephone service; and

3. Informal Complaint No. 2008-0112—complaint filed by George Kent against Hawaiian Telcom, Inc. concerning charges for calls made to the Kulani Correctional Facility in Hilo, Hawaii. This complaint was filed on August 5, 2008 and is the last complaint filed concerning inmate calling. The complaint was identified through personal recollection from one of our investigators, as the Commission’s complaint data is not compiled in a format that will allow it to identify and retrieve inmate calling service complaints.

Sincerely,

HPUC

Confidentiality: The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipients named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and, as such, is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this message in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by reply e-mail or by telephone (808/586-2020). Any personal opinions expressed in this message do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Public Utilities Commission.