The FCC asked for comments on whether it should refigure compensa...
The FCC asked for comments on whether it should refigure compensation rates for video relay services under the interstate telecom relay service fund for the 2009-2010 fund year. In addition, it sought comment on the National Exchange Carrier Association’s…
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proposed compensation rates for different types of TRS, and its proposed funding requirement of $891 million and carrier contribution factor of 0.01137. Relay providers get paid based on consumer usage by the minute. NECA administers the fund and proposed the permanent rates. It has been following a three-year interim plan established in 2007. “The Commission now has the benefit of experience with two VRS rate cycles since the adoption of the 2007 TRS Rate Methodology Order, and the VRS rates adopted in that order may not accurately reflect the providers’ reasonable actual costs of providing service in compliance with our rules,” the FCC said. The new rates would reflect provider cost data presented in NECA’s May 1 filing, it said. The regulator shouldn’t modify rates before the conclusion of the three-year plan, a written statement Thursday by relay provider Sorenson Communications said. “The three-year plan, adopted unanimously by the FCC, cuts VRS rates every year, but also provides the stability, fairness, and predictability that providers need to make investments in VRS technology.”