IT Accessibility Review
Volume 1, Number 7
Telecommunications
Sprint RelaySM Customers Now Benefit from Telecommunications Services Priority Program Active in California
Contributed by: Ed Bossen, Texas Relay Service
Overland Park, Kan. - Sprint (NYSE: FON) announced that it has completed the first milestone in enrolling its telecommunications relay service (TRS) in the FCC´s Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program. Sprint TRS, communications services available for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, is comprised of a network of 14 call centers geographically disbursed throughout the United States .The Sprint call center in Lemoore, Calif., is the first Sprint TRS call center to be active under the TSP Program.
The Sprint TRS network is designed to reroute traffic to other Sprint relay centers across the country to continue uninterrupted service.However, if a national or regional emergency caused service to be disrupted and the California center could not receive or place calls, Sprint´s participation in the TSP program means that local exchange carriers would be required to restore service to the California center as rapidly as possible consistent with the priority status assigned to the center.
Sprint anticipates enrolling the rest of the TRS call centers by the end of 2005.However, unlike other TRS providers, when a disaster occurs, Sprint TRS has the ability to reroute calls immediately to an unaffected call center and continue to process calls with minimal customer impact.Sprint is proud to voluntarily comply with the FCC´s TSP program.
In 1988, the TSP program was established to prioritize the restoration of telephone service to critical facilities and agencies at times when telecommunications companies are typically overburdened with service requests, such as after a natural disaster.In the event of a regional or national crisis, the program restores telephone services most critical to national and homeland security on a priority basis.
"As a part of Sprint´s dedication to providing a variety of reliable and effective communications services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, we recognized the urgency to ensure reliable communications during emergency situations," said Mike Ligas, Region Vice President - Sprint Relay."We´re pleased to be involved with the FCC´s TSP Program."
Sprint Relay Portfolio of Services
Sprint has almost 15 years of experience in providing relay services to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or who have a speech disability, allowing them to communicate with hearing persons on the phone.Sprint offers relay services through an intelligent platform to the federal government, 30 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and New Zealand.Sprint´s experience in the field provides the assurance that all Sprint relay services will meet or exceed Federal Communications Commission requirements for telecommunications relay services.Relay service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the number of calls placed or call length.For more information, visit www.sprintrelay.com .
Sprint Government Systems Division, ( www.sprint.com/government ) is based in Reston, Va. , and offers the full range of Sprint product and service offerings for federal and state government customers.
FCC Reaffirms Rules for Hearing Aid Compatibility
Contributed By: Ed Bosson, Texas Relay Service
WASHINGTON --The FCC moved on a couple of fronts to open up wireless spectrum and devices to wireless carriers and consumers.
At its monthly meeting, the commission decided to firmly re-establish rules for wireless device hearing aid compatibility, set up rules for the coming auction of reallocated government spectrum to commercial interests and pushed forward on the details of the digital television transition that would help free more spectrum for commercial advanced wireless services.
The FCC brokered a last-minute deal between wireless interests represented by CTIA and advocates for the hard of hearing, primarily the Self Help for the Hard of Hearing, or SHHH. The agreement directs the five Tier 1 wireless carriers to have either four hearing aid compatible phones available to consumers by Sept. 16, 2005, or ensure that 25 percent of the phones they offer are hearing aid compatible.
The addition of the four phones option was brought up by CTIA, according to FCC officials. That option would seem to take some of the pressure off carriers in the number of phones that would have to comply, although FCC officials could not immediately provide numbers. In exchange, and to CTIA´s credit, said FCC commissioners, retail wireless stores would provide data sheets listing hearing aid compatible phone options from low to high end.
Additionally, the commission asked for comment on how it should set up the auction of 45 MHz of government spectrum next June. It outlined how it will reimburse the current government users of that spectrum when they transfer to other spectrum. The FCC is working to fulfill its duties under the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (CSEA) passed by Congress last year. CSEA covers 216-220 MHz, 1432-1435 MHz, 1710-1755 MHz and 2385 MHz- 2390 MHz. The FCC proposed setting up a trust fund that would reimburse the agencies on that spectrum for the costs of their moves.
It also proposed that auctions of that spectrum would not proceed unless total cash proceeds of the auction are less than 110 percent of the total estimated relocation costs of the users. The move would ensure that government agencies would not be left holding the bag if an auction does not cover the cost of a move. If an auction did not reach the 110 percent threshold in the allotted time, it would be re-started, not left open, said Catherine Seidel, FCC acting Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Chief.
The commission also moved to keep the digital television transition in play by denying a request by the Consumer Electronics Association and the Consumer Electronics Retail Association to delay the date when 50 percent of televisions have to include a built-in digital TV tuner. The FCC said all large TVs -- over 36 inches -- have to have the tuners by July 1, 2005; medium-sized sets (24 to 36 inches) have to be equipped with the tuners by July 1, 2006; and small sets, VCRs and DVDRs have to have the equipment by July 1, 2007. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the ruling would speed access of wireless services, as it moves the entire process along.
From: NEWS@2 DIRECT June 9, 2005
Source:
http://wirelessweek.com/article/CA607449.html
