IT Accessibility Review
Volume 1, Number 8
Telecommunications
Sorenson Communications Announces Total Victory in Trade Secrets Lawsuit
Salt Lake City-- Sorenson Communications™, the nation´s leading provider of video relay services (VRS) and equipment for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, announced that it has won a summary judgment by the Judge in a lawsuit filed by Hands On Video Relay Services (HOVRS) in 2003. HOVRS had sought damages based on its allegation that Sorenson Communications had profited from "trade secrets" and other alleged confidential information contained in its business plan and other communications between the two companies.
Dismissing all claims, Third Judicial District Court Judge Robert K. Hilder ruled that HOVRS failed to establish that Sorenson Communications used any confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information belonging to HOVRS. According to Judge Hilder, Sorenson Communications´ legal representatives "brought forth evidence that in fact Sorenson did not rely on anything in the [HOVRS] business plan" to go forward and enter the VRS business.
"We are gratified that Judge Hilder agreed with our consistent belief that HOVRS´ claims were without merit," said James Lee Sorenson, CEO of Sorenson Communications. "We look forward to applying the time and resources that we had to devote to this baseless lawsuit to continually improving our products and services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community."
Source:
Sorenson Press Release, August 1, 2005
Hamilton Relay Announces CapTel™ with True Caller ID
Aurora, NE-- Hamilton Relay is pleased to announce that effective August 1, 2005, True Caller ID will be available to all CapTel™ users. CapTel users who subscribe to Caller ID service offered by their telephone provider will now be able to view the name and number of the person calling-- a benefit that has been available to standard telephone users for some time.
"We´re thrilled that our CapTel customers will now know who is calling," said Dixie Ziegler, VP of Relay for Hamilton.
CapTel users do not need to make a change to their equipment in order to take advantage of the enhancement made. CapTel True Caller ID functions with the subscription of the Caller ID service offered by telephone service providers, and provides the Caller ID information on the CapTel display window.
Hamilton Relay provides CapTel service in Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. For more information about CapTel True Caller ID or Hamilton Relay, please contact Hamilton Relay at 1-800-618-4781 TTY/voice or visit Hamilton Relay at www.hamiltonrelay.com.
Source:
Hamilton Relay Press Release, August 1, 2005
Sprint Relay Implements Telecommunications Services Priority Program in Texas
Sprint (NYSE: FON) announces that it has completed another milestone in enrolling Sprint´s telecommunications relay service (TRS) in the FCC´s Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Program. Sprint TRS, communications services available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or have a speech disability, is comprised of a network of 14 call centers geographically disbursed throughout the United States. Effective June 30, 2005, the Sprint call centers in Austin and Lubbock, Texas, were successfully activated under the TSP Program.
Unlike other TRS providers, the Sprint TRS network is designed to reroute traffic to other Sprint Relay centers across the country to continue uninterrupted service with minimal customer impact. However, if a national or regional emergency caused service to be disrupted and the New York and Massachusetts centers 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 New York and Massachusetts centers as rapidly as possible consistent with the priority status assigned to the center.
"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. "Sprint is proud to voluntarily comply with the FCC´s TSP program."
In June, Sprint announced the TRS call centers in California, Massachusetts, and New York are active in the TSP program. Sprint is on target to enroll remaining TRS call centers by the end of 2005.
In 1988, 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.
