FCC Considers Mandating Captioned Telephone Relay
Service
Editor: Have you noticed that we've been asking you to file a lot of
comments with the FCC recently? I know some of you think doing so is a
real hassle, but I can't stress enough how important it is that you take
the time to do it. And I'll bet you that you can compose and file a
meaningful comment in less than 15 minutes! So please, when you finish
reading this article, start your stopwatch and have at it! The filing
deadline is December 30!
The current
notice is requesting comments on two separate, but related issues.
The first is to mandate captioned telephone relay service. States
currently have the option of providing or not providing captioned
telephone relay service. Roughly two-thirds of the states currently
provide captioned telephone relay service (See
map); this includes some states that are still conducting trials.
For many people with hearing loss, the captioned telephone comes closest
of the available technologies to providing service that is functionally
equivalent to that provided to hearing folks. As such, it should be a
required relay service.
The second issue is whether the FCC should authorize Internet
Protocol (IP) captioned telephone relay service. IP refers to the fact
that the communication is conducted through a computer network, rather
than the traditional phone network.
TTY users were locked into a traditional TTY for years. It plugged
into a standard telephone receptacle and allowed the user to communicate
with the relay service over the telephone network. A few years ago the
industry introduced IP Relay, which allows a user to use any computer
that has an Internet connection as a TTY. (If you're not familiar with
IP Relay, read this paragraph again. I run into a substantial number of
fairly sophisticated relay users who have no idea they can use their
home or office computer to make relay calls!) One of the beauties of IP
Relay is that a person doesn't need to carry a TTY around wherever he
goes.
IP captioned telephone relay service would provide the same
accessibility for captioned telephone relay service. Again, because this
comes closest to providing functional equivalence to people with hearing
loss, it should be authorized by the FCC.
Here are
instructions on how to file a comment.
OK! Enough of an introduction! Here's Cheryl Heppner of NVRC with her
thoughts on this topic.
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Captioned telephone service has quickly become a preferred choice for
phone communication by many people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Ultratec's CapTel is currently the only captioned telephone on the
market. It offers the convenience of being able to use the CapTel phone
to dial the number you want to call and speak for yourself. You can use
your residual hearing to listen to the voice of the person you called,
while reading a text display of what is being said with a delay of one
or two seconds as backup if you do not understand the words being
spoken. In addition, if you have a second telephone line, people who
call you will automatically be connected to the captioning service.
Some states do not offer this service and others that offer it are
limiting the number of people who are allowed to have it. NVRC believes
this is a discriminatory practice; there are no such restrictions on
other forms of relay service such as "traditional" TTY to
voice/voice to TTY relay, IP relay, and Video Relay Service. The intent
of the Americans with Disabilities Act's Title IV was to make
telecommunications relay service as functionally equivalent as a call
between two people who can hear. For a very large number of people with
hearing loss, the captioned phone is the only option that meets this
requirement.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now considering
whether to require captioned telephone service throughout the United
States.
NVRC was involved in working with 13 national consumer organizations
who filed a petition on October 31, 2005, with the FCC, asking them to
make captioned telephone service available to any person in any state.
The FCC is now seeking the public's thoughts on this petition. The
Commission wants to hear whether this is something that you feel should
be mandated.
If you are you interested in seeing captioned telephone service
become a permanent, full time service in all states in the U.S., send in
your comments by December 30, 2005, when the first round of comments are
due. If you wish to read a copy of the consumer coalition petition, it
is available on Self Help for Hard of Hearing's website at http://www.hearingloss.org/html/fccpetition.html
