[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 3 (Friday, January 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 863-864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-25648]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CG Docket No. 03-123; DA 07-4924]


Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment on Petition 
for Clarification Concerning the Provision of Deaf Blind Relay Service 
(DBRS)

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission's Consumer & Governmental 
Affairs Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on a petition for clarification 
filed by Hawk Relay (Hawk) concerning the provision of Deaf Blind Relay 
Service (DBRS Petition). Specifically, the Bureau seeks comment on 
whether DBRS falls within the definition of Telecommunications Relay 
Services (TRS) as set forth in section 225 of the Communications Act of 
1934.

DATES: Comments are due on or before February 4, 2008. Reply comments 
are due on or before February 19, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments identified by [CG 
Docket No. 03-123 and/or DA 07-4924], by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically 
using the Internet by accessing the Commission's Electronic Comment 
Filing System (ECFS), through the Commission's Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/, or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow the instructions provided on 
the website for submitting comments. For ECFS filers, in completing the 
transmittal screen, filers should include their full name, U.S. Postal 
Service mailing address, and CG Docket No. 03-123. Parties may also 
submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing 
instructions, filers should send an e-mail to [email protected], and include 
the following words in the body of the message, ``get form .'' A sample form and directions will be sent in response.
     Paper Filers: 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 commercial overnight courier, or by 
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although the 
Commission continues to experience delays in receiving U.S. Postal 
Service mail). All filings must be addressed to the Commission's 
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
     The Commission's contractor will receive hand-delivered or 
messenger-delivered paper filings 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 mail 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, Express, and Priority 
mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554.
    Parties who choose to file by paper should also submit their 
filings on compact disc. The compact disc should be submitted, along 
with three paper copies to: Dana Wilson, Consumer & Governmental 
Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office, 445 12th Street, SW., Room 3-
C418, Washington, DC 20554. Such a submission should be on a compact 
disc formatted in an IBM compatible format using Word 2003 or a 
compatible software. The compact disc should be accompanied by a cover 
letter and should be submitted in ``read only'' mode. The compact disc 
should be clearly labeled with the commenter's name, proceeding (CG 
Docket No. 03-123), type of pleading (comment or reply comment), date 
of submission, and the name of the electronic file on the compact disc. 
The label should also include the following phrase ``CD-Rom Copy--Not 
an Original.'' Each compact disc should contain only one party's 
pleadings, preferably in a single electronic file. In addition, 
commenters filing by paper must send a compact disc copy to the 
Commission's duplicating contractor at Portals II, 445 12th Street, 
SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Amann, Consumer & Governmental 
Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office, at (202) 418-1022 (voice), 
(202) 418-2540 (TTY), or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's 
document DA 07-4924. Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.415 and 1.419, interested 
parties may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates 
indicated in the DATES section.
    Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1206, this matter shall be treated as a 
``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in which ex parte communications are 
subject to disclosure.

[[Page 864]]

    The full text of document DA 07-4924 and 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. Document DA 07-4924 and copies of subsequently 
filed documents in this matter may also be purchased from the 
Commission's duplicating contractor at Portals II, 445 12th Street, 
SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554; the contractor's Web site, 
http://www.bcpiweb.com; or by calling (800) 378-3160. Document DA 07-
4924 and subsequently filed documents in this matter may also be found 
by searching ECFS at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs (insert CG Docket No. 
03-123 into the Proceeding block).
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an e-mail to [email protected] or call the Consumer & Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). 
Document DA 07-4924 can also be downloaded in Word or Portable Document 
Format (PDF) at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html.

Synopsis

    On May 18, 2007, Hawk filed its DBRS Petition for clarification 
proposing DBRS as a form of TRS compensable from the Interstate TRS 
Fund. As described by Hawk, its proposed DBRS would use an interpreter 
(a ``Communications Facilitator'' (CF)) to sit with the deaf/blind 
user, place or receive conventional voice-to-voice telephone calls on 
his or her behalf, and interpret the ensuing conversation(s). The CF 
would travel to the DBRS consumer's location to assist in placing the 
call. Alternatively, a DBRS consumer could travel to a regional DBRS 
center to place a call through a CF.
    The Bureau seeks comment on the DBRS Petition, including, 
specifically, whether DBRS falls within the definition of TRS as set 
forth in section 225(a)(3) of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. 
225(a)(3). The Bureau notes, for example, that Hawk's proposed DBRS 
does not fit within the typical two-leg relay paradigm in which a relay 
center receives and places inbound and outbound calls between the end 
users to the relay call. Instead, the DBRS would employ a CF to assist 
the caller, in person, in making a telephone call.

Federal Communications Commission.
Nicole McGinnis,
Deputy Chief, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau.
 [FR Doc. E7-25648 Filed 1-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P