IT Accessibility Review

Volume 1, Number 4

Telecommunications

VOIP E911 Requirements

Contributed by Ed Bosson Texas Relay Administrator

11/09/2004 - The FCC voted today to grant, in part, Vonage Holding Corp´s petition for preemption from an order of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, which had placed state certification requirements on Vonage including E911 requirements. The Minnesota order is currently on appeal to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Commission ruled today that Vonage´s DigitalVoice VOIP service has an interstate component that cannot be separated from the intrastate-only component, which precludes duel federal and state jurisdiction. According to the Commission, the preemption decision applies to other types of packet-based services similar to DigitalVoice. The Commission declined to rule on whether VOIP service was a telecom or information service. Wireline Competition Bureau Chief Jeffrey Carlisle stated that the definitional issue would be dealt with in the IP-Enabled Services proceeding. He also stated that the order only preempts the states as to tariffing and certification issues, including E911, because those items were the subject of the Minnesota order. Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein concurred in the decision. Commissioner Copps expressed concern that the Commission was "cherry picking" the easy issues and leaving the broader and more important issues unanswered. Commissioner Adelstein expressed concerns about the effect of the decision on state and federal universal service funds.

FCC Expected to Exempt VOIP from State Rules
by Paul Davidson, USA TODAY

FCC Released New Telecommunications Relay Service Rules Summarized

by Ed Bosson

FCC has just released new Telecommunications Relay Service rules that will definitely influence how VRS will be used. Remember that VRS and TRS are not two different services. VRS is part of TRS. Therefore, when the FCC says TRS, it means any of features such as VRS, Internet-Relay, TTY, etc…. Briefly summarized:

TRS providers may not use incentive programs to reward consumers for placing VRS calls.
Per federal criteria, utilizing VRS, instead of the Interpreter, is not reimbursable.
Improper marketing practices.
Improper handling of TRS calls.

Finally, all this should be effective as of March 1, 2005. If any of the VRS providers do not follow this directive, then the fund administrator has the responsibility of not paying VRS providers of these particular instances.

TRS & Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities

Telecommunications Relay Services & Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities. Adopted Order Modifying TRS Compensation Rates for 2004-2005 (DA No. 04-4063).

This order retroactively applies the following recalculated compensation rates for TRS services. Effective between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005, "the TRS compensation rates shall be as follows: for eligible traditional TRS and IP Relay, $1.398 per minute (an increase of $0.049); for eligible STS, $1.596 per minute (an increase of $0.156); and for eligible VRS, $7.596 per minute (an increase of $0.303). As a result of this adjustment to the TRS compensation rates, NECA is directed to make such supplemental payments to the providers for services compensated under the initial rates adopted in the 2004 Bureau TRS Rate Order so that the providers´ compensation for services rendered beginning July 1, 2004, will be consistent with the rates adopted in this Order."

For more information:

National Organizations Call on FCC to Address Quality Issues in Closed Captioning

Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc., the Association of Late-Deafened Adults, the National Association of the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network, and Self-Help for the Hard of Hearing People have filed a complaint with the FCC regarding "chronic problems" with close captioning on broadcast, satellite, and cable television programming.

Some of these problems are as follows:

Deviation of accuracy and synchronization between the spoken word and captions presented on the screen is especially noticeable to people who once enjoyed sound.
Captions are omitted several minutes before the end of a show.

Search