Licensed and authorized operators will be required to submit periodic reports on their performance according to LTA determined standards, and the LTA will be empowered to verify these reports through independent investigation. Consistent with the QoS standards and regulations established by the LTA for compliance by all service providers, all public telecommunications operators shall be required to establish service level agreements with their customers, which identify the minimum quality of service standards to which customers are entitled, and the remedies and compensation available when service falls below such standards. The LTA shall establish Regulations, Rules and Orders requiring operators to respond appropriately to customer complaints and inquiries, and provide reasonable and convenient access to customer service representatives. The LTA shall also establish a Consumer Desk at the LTA that will be responsible to investigate customer complaints The LTA shall publicize the Quality of Service performance of Operators on a region-by-region basis, and shall establish specific requirements for compensation and recourse where required standards are not met. a. Consumer Affairs The policy supports that the LTA is responsible for protecting consumers of telecommunications services from unfair and deceptive marketing practices, and from unwarranted use of private customer information. The LTA shall establish regulations for monitoring and preventing such behavior, including such penalties for operators who violate these standards as the legislature may authorize. The LTA shall also establish formal complaint review procedures, and shall require all licensed and authorized telecommunications operators and services providers to establish their own procedures for responding to customer complaints. The LTA is also responsible to implement public awareness programs to inform customers of their rights and options, and to publicize its activities and invite public participation. Service providers shall retain accurate records of all customer charges and invoices for a period of at least twelve (12) month\s from the later of the date the charges were incurred or the billing date, and shall make those records available to the LTA upon request. Where the LTA has a concern about a problem relating to billing practices, it may require service providers to publish information on billing systems or billing practices or to take such other steps relating to their billing systems or billing practices as the LTA may consider appropriate. b. Public Safety The national policy on public safety is for carriers and operators to provide emergency facilities within their networks to respond to individual and national crises. Among the public safety issues that this policy addresses are emergency calls to the local police; ambulance and medical facilities; domestic and child abuse centers and the local fire department. The MP&T shall coordinate with the LTA and related government agencies to ensure that the safety of the general public is a priority. As stipulated in the Telecommunications ACT of 2007, during national emergencies, carriers and operators shall coordinate with designated government 25