[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 171 (Friday, September 3, 2010)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 54040-54041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22122]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 64

[CG Docket No. 03-123; DA 10-1235]


Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services 
for Individuals With Hearing and Speech Disabilities

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; extension of waiver.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission extends for an additional 
year current waivers of certain Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) 
mandatory minimum standards for Video Relay Service (VRS) and Internet 
Protocol Relay (IP Relay). The waived TRS mandatory minimum standards 
are: One-line voice carry over (VCO); VCO-to-teletypewriter (TTY); VCO-
to-VCO; one-line hearing carry over (HCO); HCO-to-TTY; HCO-to-HCO; call 
release; speech-to-speech (STS); pay-per-call (900) calls; types of 
calls; and equal access to interexchange carriers requirements. The 
Commission also extends for one year a requirement for default 
Internet-based TRS providers that are unable to meet such standards for 
newly-registered Internet-based TRS users who port their customer 
premises equipment (CPE) from a former default provider. The Commission 
extends the waivers for one year because the record demonstrates that 
it is technologically infeasible for VRS and IP Relay providers to 
offer these services at this time. All of these waivers are conditioned 
on the filing of a report, due April 16, 2011, addressing whether it is 
necessary for the waivers to remain in effect.

DATES: DA 10-1235 became effective on June 30, 2010. The waivers of 
certain TRS mandatory minimum standards for VRS and IP Relay will 
expire on July 1, 2011, or until the Commission addresses pending 
petitions regarding CPE portability, which ever comes first.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554. Parties may submit documentation related to the 
waivers, identified by [CG Docket No. 03-123 and/or DA 10-1235], by 
mail, to Dana Wilson, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 
Disability Rights Office, Room 3-C418.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Hlibok, (202) 559-5158 (voice/
videophone), or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's 
document DA 10-1235, adopted June 30, 2010, released June 30, 2010 
extending certain waivers for TRS mandatory minimum standards to July 
1, 2011. The full text of document DA 10-1235, and copies of any 
subsequently filed documents in this matter, will be available for 
public inspection and copies during regular business hours at the FCC 
Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room 
CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. DA 10-1235, and copies of subsequently 
filed documents in this matter also may 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 duplicating contractor at its Web site, http://www.bcpiweb.com or by calling 1-800-378-3160.
    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) or (202) 418-0432 (TTY). The 
Commission's document DA 10-1235 can also be downloaded in Word and 
Portable Document Format (PDF) at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro.trs.html.

Synopsis

    One-line VCO, VCO-to-TTY, and VCO-to-VCO. One-line VCO is a type of 
traditional TTY-based TRS that can be used by persons with a hearing 
disability who can speak. The VCO user speaks directly to the other 
party to the call, and the CA types the response back

[[Page 54041]]

so the VCO user can read it in text. A VCO-to-TTY call allows a relay 
conversation to take place between a VCO user and a TTY user; a VCO-to-
VCO call allows a relay conversation to take place between two VCO 
users.
    The Commission extends the waivers of these requirements for one 
year for VRS and IP Relay because the most recent annual waiver reports 
reflect that the Internet cannot support the voice leg of a VCO call 
with the necessary call quality. These waivers are again conditioned on 
the filing of a report, due April 16, 2011, addressing whether it is 
necessary for the waivers to remain in effect, and whether a technical 
fix is imminent.
    One-line HCO, HCO-to-TTY, and HCO-to-HCO. One-line HCO is a type of 
traditional TTY-based TRS that can be used by persons with a speech 
disability who can hear. The HCO user types what he or she wishes to 
say to the called party, and the CA voices what the HCO user has typed. 
The HCO user then listens to what the called party says in response. An 
HCO-to-TTY call allows a relay conversation to take place between a HCO 
user and a TTY user; an HCO-to-HCO call allows a relay conversation to 
take place between two HCO users. The Commission extends the waivers of 
these requirements for one year because the most recent annual waiver 
reports reflect that VRS and IP Relay providers cannot provide these 
services.
    Call Release. Call release allows a CA to set up a TTY-to-TTY call 
that, once established, does not require the CA to relay the 
conversation. In other words, this feature allows the CA to sign-off or 
be ``released'' from the telephone line, without triggering a 
disconnection between two TTY users, after the CA connects the 
originating TTY caller to the called party's TTY through, e.g., a 
business switchboard. The Commission extends the waiver of this 
requirement for one year due to technological infeasibility.
    Pay-Per-Call (900) calls. Pay-per-call (900) calls are calls that 
the person making the call pays for at a charge greater than the basic 
cost of the call. The Commission extends the waiver of this requirement 
for VRS and IP Relay for one year because the providers' annual waiver 
reports reflect there is still no billing mechanism available to handle 
the charges associated with pay-per-call calls.
    Types of Calls (Operated Assisted Calls and Long Distance Calls. 
Commission rules require TRS providers to handle any type of call 
routinely handled by common carriers. The requirement that VRS and IP 
Relay providers offer operator-assisted calls and bill certain types of 
calls to the end user was waived because providers could not determine 
when a call was local or long distance. VRS and IP Relay providers are 
required to allow calls to be placed using calling cards and/or provide 
free long distance during the waiver period. The Commission extends the 
waiver of this requirement for VRS and IP Relay for one year because 
the providers' annual waiver reports reflect that it remains 
technologically infeasible for providers to bill for these calls, since 
one leg of the call is transmitted over the Internet.
    Equal Access to Interexchange Carriers. The TRS rules require that 
providers offer TRS users their interexchange carrier of choice to the 
same extent that such access is provided to voice users. The Commission 
has waived this requirement for VRS providers, noting that it was not 
possible to determine if a call is long distance and, in any event, the 
providers could not automatically route the calls to the caller's long 
distance carrier of choice. This waiver is contingent on VRS providers 
providing long distance services free of charge to the caller. The 
Commission extends the waiver of this requirement for VRS for one year 
because the providers cannot determine whether a particular call is 
local or long distance, and so they cannot offer carrier of choice. 
Instead, providers do not charge consumers for long distance service. 
The Commission waived this requirement for IP Relay indefinitely.
    Speech-to-Speech. The Commission recognized STS as a form of TRS 
and required that it be offered as a mandatory service. The Commission 
waived this requirement indefinitely for VRS, noting that STS is a 
speech-based service, whereas VRS is a visual service using 
interpreters to interpret in sign language over a video connection. The 
requirement for IP Relay is waived until July 1, 2010, because of 
technical difficulties with respect to voice-initiated calls and the 
Internet. The Commission extends the waiver of this requirement for IP 
Relay for one year because providers of this service continue to report 
erratic voice quality.

Waiver for Default Providers Using Other Providers' CPE

    The Commission extends the waiver of certain mandatory minimum 
standards for default Internet-based TRS providers that are unable to 
meet such standards for newly-registered Internet-based TRS users who 
port their customer premises equipment (CPE) from a former default 
provider, in those instances where the new default provider does not 
have access to the technical information about such CPE that would be 
necessary in order to comply with these standards. Specifically, the 
Commission extends the waiver for operational requirements, emergency 
handling requirements, and point-to-point calling associated with such 
porting.
    All of these waivers are conditioned on the filing of a report, due 
April 16, 2011, addressing whether it is necessary for the waivers to 
remain in effect.

Mark Stone,
Deputy Bureau Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal 
Communications Commission.
[FR Doc. 2010-22122 Filed 9-2-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P