Subject: [NEXTEL-1] COMMENTS SOUGHT ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, PUBLIC OUTREACH CAMPAIGN AND NATIONAL SECURITY STATUS OF TRS

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 04:40:39 -0400

For Immediate Release:                                      News Media contact:
May 15, 2003                                                      Rosemary Kimball (202)
418-0511 voice
(202) 418-1169 TTY
e-mail: [email-masked]

TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES RULES MODIFIED; COMMENTS SOUGHT ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGY,
PUBLIC OUTREACH CAMPAIGN AND NATIONAL SECURITY STATUS OF TRS

The Commission has taken another step in a series of initiatives to afford persons with
disabilities better access to the broad range of telecommunications and information
services available today.  The Commission's existing TRS rules mean that persons with
hearing and speech disabilities are able to "get connected," so that they may participate
fully in the economic and social fabric of American life, now shaped by the
telecommunications revolution and information age.  Today's actions increase their ability
to participate.

In today’s action the Commission modified a number of rules pertaining to mandatory
minimum standards for telecommunications relay services (TRS).  The Commission also
resolved several petitions for reconsideration of an earlier ruling on TRS matters.

The Commission affirmed that common carriers have a continuing obligation to provide
educational and outreach materials under current FCC rules and asked the FCC’s Consumer
Advisory Council to review issues concerning a TRS outreach campaign.

It asked for comments on technological advancements that may further the goal of
functionally equivalent telecommunications services for persons with hearing and speech
disabilities.

The Commission also sought comment on:

 Whether TRS facilities should receive a National Security and Emergency Preparedness
Priority Status commensurate with that given to local exchange carrier facilities in the
event of an emergency or national disaster to ensure functional equivalency to TRS users.

Ways that outreach materials and efforts should be effectively distributed broadly to the
public, not just to persons with disabilities, and

 Whether eligibility and certification standards should be adopted for interstate TRS
providers.

TRS is mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act to enable persons with speech or
hearing disabilities to place and receive phone calls.  The service is available
throughout the country at no charge to the caller above their regular telephone service.
TRS uses operators, called "communications assistants" (CAs), who facilitate telephone
calls for people who have difficulty hearing or speaking, and other individuals. For
example, a hearing person calling a deaf person would dial 711 to reach the TRS facility
and a CA would dial up the deaf person to his or her TTY.  The CA listens to the caller
speak and the CA types what the caller says to the person who is deaf or hard of hearing,
who reads the message on a TTY or other text delivery device.  The CA then reads the text
response and voices the message back to the hearing caller.  The FCC requires telephone
companies to provide TRS nationwide on a 24 hour-a-day, 7 day a week basis, at no extra
cost to callers.

Conversations are relayed in real-time and relay callers are not limited in the type,
length, or nature of their calls.
In addition to reminding carriers of their obligation to provide outreach to raise
awareness of, and increase the use of, TRS, in the Report and Order adopted today, the
Commission:

Required that emergency TRS calls be routed to the “appropriate,” rather than the
“nearest,” Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and that any database used to route calls
to the appropriate PSAP is updated as frequently as the PSAP database used for non-TRS
calls.

Currently, emergency voice calls use geographic proximity as the criterion for determining
the correct PSAP to which an emergency call is forwarded.  This distinction is important
because transmitting a call to the PSAP that is nearest in proximity to the caller in some
cases may delay appropriate emergency assistance.  For wireline calls, the Commission
defined “appropriate” PSAP as the designated PSAP to which a direct call from the
particular number would be delivered.  For wireless calls, the Commission seeks further
comment in the Further Notice on how to define appropriate PSAP for wireless TRS callers.

Determined there was no barrier to TRS facilities accessing and applying Signaling System
7 (SS7) technology to TRS.  SS7 technology will afford TRS consumers numerous benefits now
widely available to voice users but not available to most TRS consumers.  An example is
Caller ID which would reduce the need to manually collect certain information from each
TRS user, thereby speeding up the calls and allowing the efficient transfer of essential
data for emergency call handling through TRS.
? Required that interstate and intrastate providers offer new types of TRS calls,
including two-line voice carry over (VCO) and two-line hearing carry over (HCO).  Two-line
VCO, which is typically used by persons who are hard of hearing or late-deafened but have
clear speech abilities, enables the person with a disability to speak directly to the
other party on one line, without the assistance of a CA, and read what the other party is
saying via a second line connected to the two-line VCO user’s TTY.

The CA hears and types the other party’s words for the two-line VCO user to read.  TRS
users report that two-line VCO calls are more natural and efficient because the
conversation moves more quickly than a one-line VCO call and allows for interruptions.
Two-line HCO, most commonly used by persons who are able to hear but have impaired speech,
works similarly to two-line VCO, except that one line is being used for hearing (the CA
does not type the words of the other party) and the other line is used by the two-line HCO
user to transmit text on the TTY, which is then read to the other party by the CA.

Required that TRS providers offer call release, three-way calling and speed dialing
through TRS facilities.
In addition to the comments sought on the outreach program and its funding, the National
Security status of TRS facilities, and certification of interstate TRS providers, the
Commission sought comment on new types of calls and new technologies and Internet Protocol
(IP) Relay Copies of this press release in accessible formats are available to persons
with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), by sending an
E-mail to [email-masked] or by calling the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at
202-418-0531 (voice), 202-418-7365 (TTY).

Action by the Commission May 15, 2003, by Second Report and Order, Order on
Reconsideration and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 03-112).  Chairman
Powell, Commissioners Abernathy, Martin and Adelstein, with Commission Copps approving in
part and concurring in part, and Chairman Powell and Commissioners Copps and Adelstein
issuing separate statements.

- FCC –
CC Docket 98-67
CG Docket 03-123

CGB contact:  Cheryl J. King, at 202- 418-2284 (voice); 202-418-0416 (TTY), [email-masked]
(email)

 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-234565A1.doc