A COMMUTER FO RPTS ENCOUNTERING LEVEL 3 ICING CONDITIONS AFTER TKOF IN AN AT42. THE FLC REQUESTED A LOWER ALT TO ESCAPE THE ICING CONDITIONS AND RETURNED TO THE ORIGINATION ARPT. ALTHOUGH THE CREW HAD RPTED THIS INCIDENT TO ATC AND THEIR COMPANY DISPATCHER; THE RPTR NOTED THAT THE INFO WAS NOT DISSEMINATED.

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THE CAPT AND I DEPARTED RWY 36R AT DFW IN AN ATR 42. SURFACE TEMP WAS 2 DEGS C WITH LOW CLOUDS AND MIST. OUR INITIAL CLRNC WAS A HDG OF 240 DEGS AND CLB TO 2000 FT. AT 1000 FT THE LEVEL 3 ICE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED; AND LEVEL 3 ICE PROTECTION WAS TURNED ON. TWR HANDED US OFF TO DEP CTL. AT 1500 FT I CONTACTED DEP CTL STATING THAT OUR FLT WAS 'THROUGH 1500 FT CLBING TO 2000 FT; REQUEST HIGHER ASAP DUE TO WX.' ATC ACKNOWLEDGED AND ASSIGNED HDG 270 DEGS; CLB AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT. BY THIS TIME; THE CLB CHKS WERE COMPLETED; THE ACFT WAS IN A CLEAN CONFIGN; FLAPS 0 DEGS. CLBING THROUGH 3000 FT; I NOTICED ICE RAPIDLY ACCUMULATING ON THE ACFT. AT 3500 FT BOTH SIDE WINDOWS WERE COMPLETELY GLAZED WITH ICE; INCLUDING THE HEATED PORTION OF THE SIDE WINDOW. I WAS UNABLE TO VISIBLY CHK THE WING FOR ICE. LEVEL AT 4000 FT; THE CAPT AND I DISCUSSED THE SIT BRIEFLY; NOTING AT LEAST 1 - 1 1/2 INCHES OF CLR ICE ON THE ICE PROBE; INCLUDING THE STREAMING OF WATER AND FREEZING RAIN WE EXPERIENCED DURING THE CLB; AND AT PRESENT ICE WAS CONTINUALLY BUILDING ON THE ACFT AT A RAPID RATE. WITH NO ASSURANCE FROM ATC FOR A HIGHER ALT ASSIGNMENT; WE DECIDED MOST OF THE ACCUMULATION WAS ACQUIRED BTWN 3000 FT AND 4000 FT AND A DSCNT TO 2000 FT AND RETURN TO DFW WAS THE BEST ESCAPE. I RPTED TO ATC THAT OUR FLT WAS EXPERIENCING SEVERE ICING CONDITIONS WITH FREEZING RAIN; AND REQUESTED 2000 FT AND VECTORS TO DFW. ATC ASSIGNED HDG 180 DEGS; DSND TO 2000 FT. TOTAL DURATION OF TIME FROM TKOF TO NOW; APPROX 4-5 MINS. DSNDING THROUGH 2500 FT; I NOTICED SOME OF THE ICE BUILD UP; ON THE HEATED PORTION ONLY; OF THE SIDE WINDOW WAS BEGINNING TO SHED. AT 2000 FT ICE ACCRETION HAD STOPPED. ON FINAL APCH I NOTED THE HIGH PWR SETTING THAT THE CAPT HAD TO USE TO MAINTAIN THE GS; AN INDICATION OF THE LARGE AMOUNT OF ICE WE WERE CARRYING. AFTER LNDG WE WAITED FOR 25 MINS BEFORE OUR GATE OPENED; DURING WHICH TIME; SOME OF THE ICE ON THE ACFT WAS MELTING. AFTER PARKING; POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED WHAT WAS LEFT OF A RIDGE OF ICE; MEASURING APPROX 18 INCHES LONG; 1/2 INCH WIDE AND 1/4 - 3/8 INCH HIGH (RAGGED). THIS FINDING WAS ON THE R WING BTWN THE ENG NACELLE AND THE BREAK BTWN THE NEW STYLE DE-ICE BOOT AND THE OLD ONE AND ALSO BTWN THE TOP PORTION OF THE ICE BOOT AND BEGINNING OF THE TOP OF THE WING. THE CAPT AND I DEBRIEFED ON THE TELEPHONE WITH THE DISPATCHER OF OUR EXPERIENCE AND ISSUED HIM RPTS OF OUR FINDINGS. THE MOST DISTURBING PART OF THIS EXPERIENCE IS THE FAA NOW HAS AUTHORIZED OUR COMPANY AS WELL AS OTHER ACRS TO DISPATCH ACFT INTO KNOWN FREEZING RAIN CONDITIONS. YES; THE FAA ALSO PUT GREAT RESTRS ON THIS. HOWEVER; THE AUTH IS WITH THE COMPANY. THEREFORE; INFLUENCING DISPATCHERS AND DIRECTORS OF OP MGRS INTO PRESSURING PLTS TO FLY IN THESE CONDITIONS. THIS SCENARIO HAPPENED NOT ONLY TO MYSELF; BUT TO OTHER PLTS THAT I WORK WITH. I SOME CASES THE COMPANY TOOK DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST THE PLT AND PERHAPS THE DISPATCHER. AFTER MAKING OUR PLT RPTS KNOWN TO ATC AND TO THE DISPATCHER; WE EXPECTED TO SEE THESE RPTS ISSUED TO OTHER PLTS; OUR RPTS WERE NOT ENTERED INTO THE SYS; NOR WERE WE ABLE TO FIND THEM. MY SUGGESTIONS TO REMEDY THESE PROBS ARE AS FOLLOWS: TO MAKE AVAILABLE ALL INFO CONCERNING PIREPS AND SEVERE WX ENCOUNTERS KNOWN TO OTHER PLTS; AND PLACE GREATER RESTRS ON FLT INTO KNOWN FREEZING RAIN. A DISPATCHER MUST RESPECT A PLT'S DECISION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO FLY IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS; IE; FREEZING RAIN.