FCC Orders Interoperable Video Relay Equipment
The FCC voted Wed. to require video relay service (VRS) equipment be interoperable and said equipment providers that block calls from competing carriers could be ineligible for Telecom Relay Service (TRS) Fund reimbursement. VRS is used by the deaf and hard-of-hearing to communicate with those who can hear. The FCC said VRS consumers must be able to place a VRS call via any VRS provider’s service and all VRS providers must be able to get calls from, and make calls to, any VRS consumer.
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The FCC took action in response to a petition by the Cal. Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf & Hard of Hearing that “described a situation [that] would have been untenable for anyone accustomed to using voice communications,” FCC Comr. Copps said: “Imagine if your primary means of communication blocked access to any other voice provider. You'd be limited to calling only others who subscribe to the same provider” or “your desk at work and your coffee table at home would be cluttered with a jumble of calling equipment from multiple providers.”
Many VRS providers use compatible equipment, FCC Chmn. Martin said, but some have “modified their software so that it cannot be used to contact other providers’ services.” VRS users must keep multiple terminals “which is cumbersome and frustrates the goal of functionally equivalent access” as the Americans with Disabilities Act requires, Martin said. It’s “also troublesome that, in the event of an emergency, a VRS user with access to only one provider could effectively be denied access to emergency responders,” he said.
Copps said he was pleased other commissioners agreed with his request to expand the ban on blocking to calls by also restricting any attempts at degrading service quality for connections to other VRS providers. He said it’s significant the FCC clarified that new VRS providers must ensure their services are interoperable with existing services.
The FCC asked for further comment on creating a “global database of proxy numbers” for VRS consumers so a hearing person can call a VRS user more easily. To call VRS users, hearing people usually need the called parties’ IP addresses as identifiers. But many VRS consumers have arrangements in which their IP addresses frequently change automatically, so a database of “telephone-like numbers” as a proxy for IP addresses might help reach them, FCC officials said. The FCC also asked for comment on whether it should adopt specific Internet protocols or standards to ensure interoperability. FCC Comr. Adelstein said that “VRS has a reciprocal role as a valuable tool for hearing Americans who wish to reach members of the deaf and hard of hearing community,” so it’s important to seek ways to make it easier to make that contact.
In a separate vote, also during the agency’s open meeting Wed., the FCC opened a proceeding to seek comment on ways to stop TRS fraud, which occurs when people use IP relay to make telephone purchases from merchants using stolen credit cards. FCC staff said TRS fraud doesn’t differ from credit card fraud except that there’s “an additional degree of anonymity.” Another example of improper use, the FCC said: “Using VRS as a substitute for in-person interpreters,” which results in compensation from the TRS Fund for an ineligible activity.