[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 142 (Monday, July 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44534-44535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16974]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CG Docket 03-123; DA 04-2062]


Petition for Declaratory Ruling Filed Regarding Provision of 
Video Relay Service (VRS) Video Mail

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission addresses a Petition for 
Declaratory Ruling filed on March 31, 2004, by Hands On Video Relay 
Service, Inc. (HOVRS), requesting that the Commission declare that the 
provision of Video VRS Mail to deaf and hard of hearing persons is 
eligible for compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund.

DATES: Comments are due on or before August 15, 2004. Reply comments 
are due on or before August 30, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl King, (202) 418-2284 (voice), 
(202) 418-0416 (TTY), or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Public 
Notice, DA 04-2062, released July 9, 2004. Interested parties may file 
comments in this proceeding on or before August 15, 2004 and reply 
comments may be filed on or before August 30, 2004. When filing 
comments, please reference CG Docket No. 03-123. Comments may be filed 
using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by 
filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking 
Proceedings, 63 FR 24121, May 1, 1998. Comments filed through the ECFS 
can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html. Generally, only one copy of an electronic 
submission must be filed. In completing the transmittal screen, 
commenters should include their full name, Postal Service mailing 
address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may 
also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing 
instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should send an e-mail to 
[email protected], and should include the following words in the body of the 
message, ``get form .'' A sample form and 
directions will be sent in reply.
    Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four 
copies of each filing. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger 
delivery, by electronic media, by commercial overnight courier, or by 
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Services mail (although we 
continue to experience delays in receiving U.S. Postal Service mail). 
The Commission's contractor, Natek, Inc., will receive hand-delivered 
or messenger-delivered paper filings or electronic media for the 
Commission's Secretary at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Suite 110, 
Washington, DC 20002. The filing hours at this location are 8 a.m. to 7 
p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or 
fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the 
building. Commercial and electronic media sent by overnight mail (other 
than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent 
to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal 
Service first-class mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail should be 
addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. All filings 
must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, 
Office of the Secretary, Federal

[[Page 44535]]

Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., Room TW-B204 
Washington, DC 20554.
    Parties who choose to file by paper should also submit their 
comments on diskette. These diskettes should be submitted, along with 
three paper copies, to: Dana Jackson, Consumer & Governmental Affairs 
Bureau, Disability Rights Office, 445 12th Street, SW., Room 6C-410, 
Washington DC 20554. Such a submission should be on a 3.5 inch diskette 
formatted in an IBM compatible format using Word 97 or compatible 
software. The diskette should be accompanied by a cover letter and 
should be submitted in ``read only'' mode. The diskette should be 
clearly labeled with the commenter's name, proceeding (including the 
lead docket number in this case, CG Docket No. 03-123, type of pleading 
(comment or reply comment), date of submission, and the name of the 
electronic file on the diskette. The label should also include the 
following phrase ``Disk Copy--Not an Original.'' Each diskette should 
contain only one party's pleadings, preferably in a single electronic 
file. In addition, commenters must send diskette copies to the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. 
(BCPI), Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 
20554. Pursuant to Sec.  1.1206 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 
1.1206, this proceeding will be conducted as a permit-but-disclose 
proceeding in which ex parte communications are subject to disclosure.
    Copies of any subsequently filed documents in this matter will be 
available for public inspection and copying during regular business 
hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th 
Street, SW., Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. The complete text of 
this Public Notice may be purchased from the Commission's duplicating 
contractor, BCPI, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, 
Washington, DC 20554, telephone (202) 863-2893, facsimile (202) 863-
2898, or via e-mail at http://www.bcpiweb.com.
    To request materials in accessible formats (such as Braille, large 
print, electronic files, or audio format), send an e-mail to 
[email protected] or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 
(202) 418-0530 (voice) or (202) 418-0432 (TTY). This Public Notice can 
also be downloaded in Word and Portable Document Format at http://
www.fcc.gov/cgb.dro.
    Synopsis: As background, TRS, as mandated by Title IV of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, makes the telephone system 
accessible to individuals with hearing or speech disabilities. See 47 
U.S.C. 225. This is accomplished through TRS facilities that are 
staffed by specially trained CAs using special technology. The CA 
relays conversations between persons using various types of assistive 
communication devices and persons who do not require such assistive 
devices. VRS--Video Relay Service--is ``a telecommunications relay 
service that allows people with hearing or speech disabilities who use 
sign language to communicate with voice telephone users with video 
equipment. The video link allows the [communications assistant] to view 
and interpret the party's signed conversation and relay the 
conversation back and forth with a voice caller.'' 47 CFR 64.601(17). 
According to HOVRS, Video VRS Mail is a means by which hearing persons 
can have a VRS communications assistant send a message in video format 
(American Sign Language) to a deaf or hard of hearing VRS user who is 
not available to answer the call, so that the VRS user can retrieve the 
video message at a later time.

Federal Communications Commission.
P. June Taylor,
Chief of Staff, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 04-16974 Filed 7-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P