Regulators seek ways to help limited-English users with communications

STOCKTON -- California regulators, concerned that immigrant residents have difficulty understanding telephone-service offerings or that unscrupulous businesses might exploit minorities, will conduct a public hearing on these issues Thursday in Stockton.

That meeting is one of four being held statewide.

It is part of a study ordered by the California Public Utilities Commission to identify the languages that should be used in consumer education materials and programs, to review special challenges facing telephone customers with limited English proficiency and to find better ways to communicate with and improve service for such consumers.

Individuals with limited English proficiency may face two major disadvantages in dealing with telecommunications services, PUC spokeswoman Terri Proper said.

"On the one hand, while carriers may provide accurate and useful information about their services in English, minority language customers may not understand it due to the language barrier," she wrote in an e-mail. "On the other hand, minority customers may be targeted for fraudulent and deceptive communications in their own languages by unscrupulous businesses that prey on minority language communities."

There is definitely a need to help immigrant residents overcome language barriers, said Khammanh Thatsana, a case manager with the Lao Khmu Association in Stockton.

She often helps Laotian speakers understand the fine print in contracts for cell phones or other communication services.

"They need to have this type of service, so the clients ... understand what they are getting into," Thatsana said.

She's had clients who were shocked to receive bills for hundreds of dollars, after signing documents they didn't understand.

"They say, 'I didn't sign up for that,' but they actually did sign up for that," she said.

The commission has already held hearings in Los Angeles and Fresno on these issues and plans a San Diego meeting Tuesday, in addition to the Stockton event.

"We are hoping that through these meetings ... we can learn more about challenges or problems that non-English-speaking or limited-English-proficient telecommunications consumers face," Prosper said. "We also value recommendations on ways to address these challenges or problems."

Already the commission is moving forward with ways to better-serve native foreign-language speakers.

Its telephone-consumer educational Web site -- www.calphoneinfo.com -- is written in English, but a Spanish-language version is planned.

Downloadable educational pamphlets on the site are already available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Those will be expanded to include Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian, Farsi, Hmong, Russian and Thai.

To help disabled consumers, plans call for brochures in large font and audio versions to be offered in English, Chinese and Spanish.