HOVRS - News

News

An Important Message About Maintaining Quality VRS Service
Learn more:

Functionally Equivalent White Paper (PDF: 151k).
A detailed 12 page white paper on Making Relay Functionally Equivalent.

The ADA established relay "to make available to all individuals in the United States a rapid, efficient nationwide communication service." The FCC is tasked to ensure that relay is “available, to the extent possible and in the most efficient manner, to hearing-impaired and speech-impaired individuals in the United States.” Relay is paid for from the revenues of all telecommunications providers so that the deaf and hard of hearing pay no more for relay than hearing persons pay for telephone service.

The ADA defines relay as "telephone transmission services that provide the ability for an individual who has a hearing impairment or speech impairment to engage in communication by wire or radio with a hearing individual in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of an individual who does not have a hearing impairment or speech impairment to communicate using voice communication services by wire or radio. Such term includes services that enable two-way communication between an individual who uses a TDD or other non-voice terminal device and an individual who does not use such a device."

The key phrase in this definition is "functionally equivalent." It is not sufficient that the service merely allow the deaf and hard of hearing to minimally communicate with a hearing person. Rather, functional equivalence requires a functional equality in the service provided the deaf and hard of hearing. At the very least, functional equivalence requires that deaf and hard of hearing users of relay be able to communicate with the ease of the hearing community. That would include wireless as well as wired service, and a continuously available, on demand relay system.

The need to provide functionally equivalent service, not just bare minimal service, convinced Congress that relay should be provided on a 24/7 basis. And to ensure functional equivalence, the FCC requires that 85 percent of relay calls be placed within 10 seconds (this requirement being considered functionally equivalent to a hearing person receiving a dial tone). These two requirements ensure that relay is an on-demand service just like a hearing person’s dial tone.

Unfortunately, traditional relay is far from true functional equivalence. Traditional relay is text-based. So it is no more functionally equivalent for the deaf and hard of hearing to telephone service offered hearing persons than "instant chat" and email would be to telephone service to the hearing community. Text based relay cannot display expressive communication such as occurs on a telephone call between hearing persons. Inflection, pauses, and other extra-verbal cues cannot be conveyed solely through the written word. In addition, text-based relay calls tend to be very long owing to the need to type out both sides of the conversation. Many persons will not accept relay calls for this reason. Lastly, for at least 500,000 deaf and hard of hearing persons, written English is simply not their natural expressive language. That language is American Sign Language.

The ADA recognizes the inadequacy of traditional relay services. It requires the FCC to ensure that its relay regulations "encourage ... the use of existing technology and do not discourage or impair the development of improved technology."

Video Relay Service ("VRS") solves many of the shortcomings of text-based relay. VRS allows a deaf or hard of hearing person to make a telephone call via an Internet video connection between the user and the relay center staffed with ASL interpreters. VRS thus allows conversations to occur at approximately normal speed. Moreover, VRS allows for the transmission of non-verbal or extra-verbal communication. Lastly, ASL allows deaf and hard of hearing persons to converse in their natural language, ASL. However, current funding constraints are hampering the ability of VRS to provide functionally equivalent service.

Because VRS is Internet based, the FCC has required that it be paid for through the Interstate TRS fund, administered by the National Exchange Carrier Association ("NECA").

In July of 2003, the FCC cut the rate paid VRS providers by some 55 percent of the previous rate and by some 45 percent of what, NECA recommended. As a result, VRS providers had to immediately cut back operating hours and lay-off staff. Wait times just to place a call (the equivalent according to the FCC of a dial tone) are now averaging well in excess of a minute, several times the standard the FCC set for text-based relay. Moreover, the lack of funding prevents development of wireless VRS, or service to users with computers that use operating systems other than Windows.

Although the FCC is right to examine the rate paid for VRS, the FCC seems under the mistaken impression that text-based relay is adequate to achieve functional equivalence and that VRS is a mere nice to have. This is apply illustrated by the statement of one FCC official that traditional relay "is functionally equivalent." It appears, therefore that the FCC is more concerned with the cost of VRS and limiting charges to telecommunications rate payers, than it is with the service VRS provides the deaf and hard of hearing community. Check on the this link to see how the FCC emphasized that its cut in the VRS rate would save money for ratepayers, but omitted to consider the reduction in quality of service to the deaf and hard of hearing that would occur: http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/presentations/2004/011504/cgb.ppt ; note the third bullet on page 14.

Write, email or VRS call the FCC Commissioners and the FCC staff responsible for administering relay. Tell them how important relay is to you and the shortcomings you’ve experienced with text-based and video relay service as it is now offered. A list of those FCC officials is presented below with their contact information.
Write, email or VRS call your Congressman and Senators and demand that they tell the FCC to make relay functionally equivalent to the telephone service available to the hearing community. You can locate your Congressman’s and Senators’ contact information at: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
Contact advocacy groups for the deaf and hard of hearing expressing your support for functionally equivalent relay service and asking them to add their voice to the call for functionally equivalent relay service.
Take action by sending an email to the Chairman Michael K. Powell and Commissioneers Kathleen Q. Abernathy, Michael J. Copps, Kevin J. Martin, Jonathan S. Adelstein and Chief K. Dane Snowden.

FCC officials who can ensure quality relay service:

Chairman Michael K. Powell
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Room 8B 201Washington, DC 20554
Email: michael.powell@fcc.gov
Telephone 202-418-1000

Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Room 8B 115Washington, DC 20554
Email: kathleen.abernathy@fcc.gov
Telephone 202-418-2400

Commissioner Michael J. Copps
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Room 8A-302Washington, DC 20554
Email: michael.copps@fcc.gov
Telephone 202-418-2000

Commissioner Kevin J. Martin
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Room 8A 204Washington, DC 20554
Email: kevin.martin@fcc.gov
Telephone 202-418-2100

Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Room 8C 302Washington, DC 20554
Email: jonathan.adelstein@fcc.gov
Telephone 202-418-2300

K. Dane Snowden, Chief
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554
Email: dane.snowden@fcc.gov
Telephone 202-418-1400

Escribe, envía un correo electrónico o haz una llamada VRS a los Comisionados de la FCC y el personal de la FCC responsable de administrar el relevo. Diles lo importante que es para ti el relevo y los inconvenientes que has experimentado con el servicio texto-basado y de video relevo como es ofrecido actualmente. Una lista oficial de esos oficiales de la FCC es presentada abajocon su información de contácto.
Escribe, envía un correo electrónico o haz una llamada VRS a tus Miembros del Congreso y Senadores y exige que le digan a la FCC que hagan el relevo funcionalmente equivalente al servicio de teléfono disponible para las personas oyentes. Puedes localizar tus Miembros del Congreso y Senadores con información de contácto en: www.house.gov y www.senate.gov.
Contacta grupos de defensa de los Sordos y Sordos Parcial expresando tu apoyo al servicio de relevo con equivalencia funcional y pidiendoles alzar su voz en un llamado por un servicio de relevo funcionalmente equivalente.
Toma acción enviando un correo electrónico al presidente Michael K. Powell y a los Comisionados Kathleen Q. Abernathy, Michael J. Copps, Kevin J. Martin, Jonathan S. Adelstein y al jefe K. Dane Snowden.

Oficiales de la FCC que pueden asegurar un servicio de relevo de calidad:

Presidente Michael K. Powell
Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones
445 12th Street SW, Room 8B 201Washington, DC 20554
Correo electrónico: michael.powell@fcc.gov
Teléfono 202-418-1000

Comisionado Kathleen Q. Abernathy
Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones
445 12th Street SW, Room 8B 115Washington, DC 20554
Correo electrónico:kathleen.abernathy@fcc.gov
Teléfono 202-418-2400

Comisionado Michael J. Copps
Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones
445 12th Street SW, Room 8A-302Washington, DC 20554
Correo electrónico: michael.copps@fcc.gov
Teléfono 202-418-2000

Comisionado Kevin J. Martin
Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones
445 12th Street SW, Room 8A 204Washington, DC 20554
Correo electrónico: kevin.martin@fcc.gov
Teléfono 202-418-2100

Comisionado Michael J. Copps
Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones
445 12th Street SW, Room 8C 302Washington, DC 20554
Correo electrónico: jonathan.adelstein@fcc.gov
Teléfono 202-418-2300

K. Dane Snowden, Jefe
Oficina Gubernamental de Asuntos del Consumidor
y Comisión Federal de las Comunicaciones
445 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20554
Correo electrónico: dane.snowden@fcc.gov
Teléfono 202-418-1400

--%>