[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 151 (Friday, August 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39699-39700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-18862]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CG Docket No. 03-123; DA 09-1436]


Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks To Refresh the 
Record on Petition To Mandate Captioned Telephone Relay Service

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission, via the Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau (Bureau), seeks to refresh the record on a 
petition filed by various consumer groups requesting that the 
Commission initiate a rulemaking to make Captioned Telephone Relay 
Service (CTS) a mandatory form of telecommunications relay service 
(TRS). This issue has been raised again in a recently filed supplement 
to the petition, and comment is sought on the supplement as well.

DATES: Comments are due on or before July 27, 2009. Reply comments are 
due on or before August 10, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments and reply comments 
identified by [CG Docket No. 03-123], by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting electronic filings.
     Federal Communications Commission's Electronic Comment 
Filing System (ECFS): http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs. Follow the 
instructions for submitting electronic filings.
     By filing paper copies.

For electronic filers through ECFS or the Federal eRulemaking Portal, 
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

[[Page 39700]]

Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications 
Commission. The Commission's contractor 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 mail 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, Express, and Priority mail should be addressed to 
445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Chandler, Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office, at (202) 418-
1475 (voice), (202) 418-0597 (TTY), or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's public 
notice in document DA 09-1436. Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1206, this 
proceeding will be conducted as a permit-but-disclose proceeding in 
which ex parte communications are subject to disclosure. The full text 
of DA 09-1436 and 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. DA 09-1436 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. Customers may contact 
the Commission's contractor at its Web site, http://www.bcpiweb.com, or 
by calling (800) 378-3160. DA 09-1436 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 and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). DA 09-
1436 can also be downloaded in Word or Portable Document Format (PDF) 
at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html.

Synopsis

    CTS is a form of TRS that permits persons with a hearing disability 
to simultaneously listen to what the other party is saying and read 
captions of what the other party is saying on the same device. In 2003, 
the Commission recognized CTS as a form of TRS eligible for 
compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund, but did not make it a 
mandatory service. See Telecommunications Relay Service and Speech-to-
Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, 
CC Docket No. 98-67, Declaratory Ruling, FCC 03-190, published at 68 FR 
55898, September 29, 2003.
    In 2005, a petition was filed by various consumer groups requesting 
that the Commission initiate a rulemaking to make CTS a mandatory form 
of TRS. The Bureau released a Public Notice seeking comment on the 
petition. See Petition for Rulemaking Filed Concerning Mandating 
Captioned Telephone Relay Service and Authorizing Internet Protocol 
(IP) Captioned Telephone Relay Service, CG Docket No. 03-123, Public 
Notice, DA 05-2961, published at 70 FR 71849, November 30, 2005.
    On June 10, 2009, some of the parties to the original petition 
filed a supplement reiterating their request for rulemaking to make CTS 
a mandatory service. See Telecommunications Relay Service and Speech-
to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech 
Disabilities, CG Docket 03-123, Supplement to Petition to Mandate 
Captioned Telephone Relay Service.

Federal Communications Commission.
Suzanne M. Tetreault,
Acting Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
 [FR Doc. E9-18862 Filed 8-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P