THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION (PUC) GIVES CONSUMERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FILE INFORMAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES THAT THE PUC REGULATES. COMPLAINTS CAN BE FILED THROUGH HTTPS://PUC.COLORADO.GOV
Washington Users
Important Information Regarding Washington Relay
What is Washington Relay? Washington Relay is a public service providing access to prompt, professional and precise communication through a telephone. Consumers of these specialized services, specifically individuals who are deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing or speech-disabled, can communicate on the telephone via TTY, Voice Carry Over (VCO), Hearing Carry Over (HCO), Speech-to-Speech (STS), Spanish-to-Spanish and Captioned Telephone. This helps ensure the ability to connect with family, friends or businesses with ease.
How does Washington Relay work? Simply dial 711 to connect with Washington Relay. A qualified Operator (OPR) will ask for the area code and the number of the person you wish to call before beginning to relay the call. Generally, the OPR will voice the typed message from the text telephone (TTY) user to you. The OPR will then relay your voiced response by typing it to the TTY user.
Specialized Services: Washington Relay offers specialized services for individuals who are speech disabled as well as any Spanish-speaking residents. You may get into contact with specially trained OPRs who will assist with these types of calls by dialing the provided number below. Since Washington Relay offers a variety of services please refer to the website listed or contact Washington Relay Customer Care for more detailed instruction on how a particular call is processed.
Captioned Telephone Service {CTS): CTS is also available and ideal for any individual that has experienced loss of hearing but is still able to speak for themselves. A captioned telephone works like any other telephone with one essential difference: it allows users to listen to their phone conversations while reading captions on the screen.
Access to Services: All calls are toll-free and provide access to the same relay services. If you are experiencing trouble dialing 711 in an attempt to reach Washington Relay, please call Washington Relay Customer Care instead.
All TRS and English Captioned Telephone services are provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Spanish Captioned Telephone is available daily from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. PST. Consumers may place relay calls to Englishspeaking and Spanish-speaking people within Washington, across the United States and even internationally. By law, each conversation is handled with strict confidentiality.
Captioned Telephone Customer Service: 888-269-7477 To call a Captioned Telephone user, dial: 877-243-2823
Telecommunication Equipment Device Program
The Washington Telecommunication Equipment Device program offers specialized equipment to eligible individuals in Washington who are deaf, DeafBlind or are speech-disabled. For more information you can visit www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/ odhh/telecommunication–equipment-distribution or call 800-422-7930 (Voice/TTY) or 360-339-7755 (VP).
Emergency Calls During an emergency, call or text 911 (where available) or call your local emergency service TTY number directly. Do not call 711. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that 911 centers have a TTY and be prepared to handle emergency calls placed in this manner. Washington Relay will make every effort to assist you in an emergency. However, it is important to understand that relay centers are not 911 centers and do not assume responsibility for emergency calls.
