Refresh the Record on IP CTS Data: ClearCaptions
ClearCaptions asked the FCC to reject USTelecom’s "unsupported inference" that IP captioned telephone service (CTS) outreach and marketing costs are "unnecessary and should be removed from the base of costs" for IP CTS rates. It said USTelecom's claim that IP…
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CTS "is widely known in the hard-of-hearing and deaf communities is not supported by its members’ experience, citations, or evidence," per a filing Thursday in docket 03-123. The "vast majority of IP CTS users are individuals who have aged into hearing loss" and "it takes considerable outreach and marketing to reach these individuals," ClearCaptions said. The FCC should "refresh the record and collect sufficient cost data to analyze whether to change IP CTS rates," it said. “USTelecom and its members understand the vital importance of services like the Telecommunications Relay Service that provides the deaf and hard-of-hearing community with equal access to telecommunications," emailed a spokesperson. "Reimbursement rates must reflect the actual costs of the services provided with a reasonable margin for providers," she said: "While a modest fund reserve is reasonable and responsible, it may be necessary for the commission to address errors in projected demand and required funding given the substantial surplus in the fund from the current year.”