[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 2, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11462-11464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4646]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CG Docket No. 10-51; DA 11-317]


Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment on 
Application of New and Emerging Technologies for Video Relay Service 
Use

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission seeks comment regarding new 
and emerging technologies that may be used to access Video Relay 
Service (VRS). With the proliferation of access to VRS through mobile 
technologies, the Commission has an interest in gathering information 
about use of these technologies in compliance with the Commission's 
rules. Comments received in response to this document

[[Page 11463]]

will supplement the comments received in response to the VRS Structure 
and Practices Notice of Inquiry (VRS Structure and Practices NOI), and 
will be incorporated into the record of that proceeding.

DATES: Comments are due April 1, 2011. Reply comments are due April 18, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: FCC Headquarters at 445 12th Street, SW., Room TW-A325, 
Washington, DC 20554. You may submit comments, identified by [CG Docket 
No. 10-51], 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) http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/ or the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow 
the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting comments and 
transmit one electronic copy of the filing to each docket number 
referenced in the caption, which in this case is CG Docket No. 10-51. 
For ECFS filers, in completing the transmittal screen, filers should 
include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the 
applicable docket number.
     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 {your e-mail address{time} . 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. In addition, parties 
must send one copy to the Commission's duplicating contractor, Best 
Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, or 
via e-mail to [email protected]. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger 
delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or 
overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to 
the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal 
Communications Commission.
     All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings 
for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 
445 12th Street, SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand 
deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners.
     Envelopes must be disposed of before entering the 
building. The filing hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
     Commercial 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 must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington DC 20554.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Mason, Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office, at (202) 418-7126 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's 
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment on Application 
of New and Emerging Technologies for Video Relay Service Use, Public 
Notice, document DA 11-317, released on February 17, 2011, in CG Docket 
No. 10-51.
    The full text of document DA 11-317 and copies of any subsequently 
filed documents in this matter will be available for public inspection 
and copying via ECFS, and during regular business hours at the FCC 
Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room 
CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the 
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 
Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, 
telephone: (800) 378-3160, fax: (202) 488-5563, or Internet: http://www.bcpiweb.com. Document DA 11-317 can also be downloaded in Word or 
Portable Document Format (PDF) at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/policy. 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).
    In the VRS Structure and Practices NOI, the Commission designated 
the ex parte status of the proceeding as ``permit-but-disclose,'' so 
any presentations related to document DA 11-317 will also be designated 
as such. Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1200 et. seq., this matter shall be 
treated as a ``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the 
Commission's ex parte rules. Persons making oral ex parte presentations 
are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentations must contain 
summaries of the substance of the presentations and not merely a 
listing of the subjects discussed. More than a one or two sentence 
description of the views and arguments presented is generally required. 
Other rules pertaining to oral and written ex parte presentations in 
permit-but-disclose proceedings are set forth in 47 CFR 1.1206(b).

Synopsis

    As part of ongoing VRS reform efforts associated with the VRS 
Structure and Practices NOI, the Bureau seeks additional comment and 
information regarding new and emerging technologies that may be used to 
access VRS. See Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service 
Program, Notice of Inquiry, published at 75 FR 41863, July 19, 2010. In 
the VRS Structure and Practices NOI, the Commission sought comment on 
how to improve the VRS program ``to ensure that it is available to and 
used by the full spectrum of eligible users, encourages innovation, and 
is provided efficiently so as to be less susceptible to the waste, 
fraud, and abuse that plague the current program and threaten its long-
term viability.'' The NOI also sought comment on a number of issues 
concerning the provision of off-the-shelf video equipment, including 
the extent to which such equipment is available and affordable to VRS 
consumers, the extent to which this equipment can serve as an 
acceptable substitute for videophone equipment and software 
specifically designed for VRS users, and the extent to which changes in 
the VRS program are needed to allow consumers to use such equipment for 
VRS calls. Given the recent proliferation of these video technologies, 
the Bureau now requests that interested parties provide additional 
information and comment on the specific functionalities of these 
devices as they relate to the provision and use of VRS as follows:
     What specific features or functions of off-the-shelf 
equipment, services, and software are needed to effectively use VRS? 
Commenters should specify whether each feature or function is necessary 
to use VRS and point-to-point communications or could be optional. What 
broadband speeds and frames-per-second transmission rates are necessary 
for acceptable video quality? What lux (lx) level ratings are required 
for a camera to produce acceptable images in low light settings? What 
other features must a camera have (e.g., pan, zoom, tilt)? How much 
jitter (lateral and angular) is tolerable?
     To what extent are consumers currently using off-the-shelf 
video communication software and/or platforms in connection with VRS? 
How often do consumers use these technologies (e.g., Skype, Apple 
FaceTime) as compared to equipment and software issued by VRS providers 
for point-to-point communications? What are the advantages and

[[Page 11464]]

disadvantages of the off-the-shelf technologies compared to 
technologies provided by VRS-providers? For example, are there specific 
functionalities--for either VRS or point-to-point communications--that 
these technologies offer that are not available on devices issued by 
providers? What are the current limitations of such technologies (e.g., 
with respect to interoperability, numbering, emergency services) and to 
what extent do such limitations impede their use by persons who rely on 
VRS? Do such off-the-shelf technologies comply with the Commission's 
current rules? If they do not comply, in what ways do they not comply?

Federal Communications Commission.
Karen Peltz Strauss,
Deputy Bureau Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2011-4646 Filed 3-1-11; 8:45 am]
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