TDI Workshop "Bridging the Digital Divide"

This article is one of a continuing series from the biannual conference hosted by Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. (TDI). This workshop was part of an afternoon session entitled "Quality of Service Revisited: On the Road to Functional Equivalency in TRS". The presenters were Alana Beal, California Outreach and Marketing Manager for MCI Global Relay, and William McClelland, Senior Enhanced Networks Solutions Manager for MCI Global Relay.

Alana began with a brief history of TTY communications. In 1874, Baudot developed the code that continues to be used in TTYs today; two years later Bell invented the telephone. In 1964 Weitbrecht developed the first TTY, and in 1970 Vint Cerf coauthored the host-to-host protocols that made the internet possible. In 1992 the FCC and the ADA mandated relay service. Baudot code is ok, but it's pretty outdated; it's time for a change.

In November 2000, MCI introduced IP Relay. (IP stands for Internet Protocol. IP Relay is a relay service that is accessed using a computer and the internet, rather than a TTY and phone.) This was a momentous occasion, because it empowered the consumer with choice of relay provider (vice current telephony-based relay, in which the states choose the relay provider for the citizens of each state). MCI's IP Relay continues to operate today. MCI has filed a petition for reimbursement thru National Exchange Carriers Association (NECA).

MCI is advocating an open model in which providers compete for your business on the basis of quality, with standard reimbursements.

Bill then examined how the IP Relay service would be developed. He stated that MCI would start with text to voice, which is the simplest relay service. This means, among other things, that the consumer doesn't need any special hardware or software to access the service; she can access it using a computer, a cell phone, or a PDA.

Stanford University is working on a project in which each individual has a device that is customized to him; MCI worked with them on that project. They're also working with Dr. Cerf on Session Initiated Protocol (SIP). One of the characteristics of these projects is that each device knows how to provide access for its user. The devices are smart enough to call in a relay provider if that's required - e.g., a TTY user calling someone using spoken French. This is a reality TODAY, though it's not yet commercially available.

The relay providers are ready; they're just waiting for FCC approval. MCI is currently supporting their IP relay service at their own expense. They need folks to contact the FCC and encourage approval for IP relay. They don't want the FCC to tell them how to build the bridge, just that the bridge can be built. They must limit imposed requirements and allow providers to compete on features.

Q: Can we use relay with IM (instant messaging)?
A: This is not available yet, but we're looking at it. There are several IM and IM-like protocols that we're looking at. As these protocols open up, we will look at including them.

Q: The internet is not regulated by the FCC. If it's not a communication service, how can it get funded out of the TRS fund? And how expensive is it?
A: The ADA mandates that the FCC controls what's happening in relay. We believe this mandate authorizes the FCC to govern IP Relay. Regarding the expense, all the pieces are in place, so the cost of IP relay is identical to that of telephony relay.

Q: Is it possible to go to the IP website and tell them to call you back on your voice line and then use the service like 2 line HCO (Hearing Carry Over)?
A: I would have to sit down with a piece of paper and draw that. We use 2 line VCO on IP relay today, so I would have to see how the functionality of HCO is different.

Q: Is it possible for hearing person to call IP relay?
A: They would call on a standard phone and terminate at an IP connection. We are working with Nxi Communications on that today.