A coalition of advocacy and consumer groups for deaf and blind persons opposed multiple provisions of the FCC’s June order that would institute changes to the Video Relay Service (VRS) program, saying in comments released Tuesday that the order “may cause harm to the quality of VRS” (http://bit.ly/12mKIrd). The VRS order would reduce compensation rates to various-sized providers and created interoperability provisions to give users power to more easily choose providers and equipment (CD June 11 p1). The groups said they believe there has been “no effort on the part of the Commission to compensate or reward providers for improving functional equivalency in VRS calls. The Commission needs to reward such competition-driven innovation even during any efforts to improve the efficiency of the VRS system.”

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) systems will undergo network maintenance on Saturday, July 27 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. During this time the DTrade electronic licensing system will be unavailable to accept submissions. EFS, TRS, ELLIE and MARY will be unavailable, as will the pmddtc.state.gov website.

The FCC approved 3-0 an order revamping the Video Relay Service program. In addition to reducing the rates of compensation to various sized providers, interoperability provisions in the order give users the power to more easily choose providers and equipment. The order also creates a “neutral” video communication service provider that will give consumers access to a “standalone” VRS communications assistant provider of their choice.

In March 2011, the Enforcement Bureau began asking Sorenson about its compliance with rules requiring registration and verification of Video Relay Service IP Relay users assigned special ten-digit relay numbers, the bureau’s order said (http://bit.ly/ZcvdAu). The bureau was investigating whether the company billed the fund for calls made by “unregistered, unverified, or ineligible individuals,” as well as for “calls that were made by or on behalf of the provider itself,” according to an FCC statement. That refers to calls made by Sorenson employees but billed to the fund, an FCC spokesman said. The commission confirmed in a declaratory ruling in 2010 that such calls are not compensable, he said.

Rolka Loube Saltzer Associates (RLSA), the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund administrator, has submitted TRS Fund payment formulas for the period between July 1 and June 30, 2014, the FCC said Friday. RLSA proposed new per-minute compensation rates for all TRS forms except VRS -- $2.1647 for interstate traditional TRS, $3.2957 for interstate Speech-to-Speech, $1.7877 for interstate captioned telephone service and interstate and intrastate Internet Protocol captioned telephone service, and $1.0391 for interstate and intrastate IP Relay. The FCC is currently considering whether to modify the current interim VRS rates. RLSA proposed a funding requirement of $1.54 billion and a carrier contribution factor of 0.0233, the FCC said. Comments on RLSA’s proposed formulas are due May 31; reply comments are due June 7 (http://bit.ly/16rZ9he).

AT&T will pay $18.25 million to settle an FCC investigation into improper billing of the Telecommunications Relay Service fund, the agency said Tuesday. The Enforcement Bureau was investigating whether AT&T improperly billed the fund for IP Relay calls without verifying customer eligibility (http://bit.ly/109q7Fk). AT&T will reimburse the TRS Fund $7 million, which includes interest; it will also make a “voluntary contribution” of $11.25 million to the U.S. Treasury, and implement a “robust compliance plan” that includes new operating procedures, revamped employee training, and periodic reporting requirements, an agency spokesman said. “Today’s settlement represents the fourth FCC enforcement action to date against Internet-based TRS providers, resulting in payments of nearly $40 million back to the Fund and the U.S. Treasury,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski in a statement. “The steps taken today will not only ensure the integrity of the program, but also send a strong signal to providers that we will not tolerate abuse of the system.” AT&T agreed to implement the compliance plan within 60 days, and to file compliance reports in 1.5, 12 and 24 months. “We and others in the industry brought the issue of customer misuse of IP relay to the attention of the FCC,” AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said. “While we disagree with some of the FCC’s positions underlying this consent decree, we decided that the best course is to resolve the matter and move forward."

The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls said March 26 DTrade2 and TRS will be undergoing system maintenance on March 29. DTrade2 and TRS systems will be unavailable from 5:30-11:00 p.m. EST.

American Network Inc. signed a consent decree with the FCC, terminating an Enforcement Bureau investigation into ANI’s provision of Telecommunications Relay Services and compensation from the TRS Fund (http://bit.ly/148dA8c). The company acknowledged to the bureau that a subcontractor had “failed to register any IP Relay users but still processed calls and ANI billed the TRS Fund for them,” the bureau said. ANI has agreed to refund $124,000 to the TRS Fund within 30 days. The company said it’s “financially unable to proceed as an ongoing operation,” and will cease providing TRS.

The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls systems will undergo network maintenance on March 9 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. During this time, the DTrade system will not accept submissions. EFS, TRS, ELLIE, MARY and the pmddtc.state.gov website will also be unavailable.

The FCC’s interim measures to prevent misuse of the IP Captioned Telephone Service (CTS) saw universal support from commenters, who generally urged that most or all of the interim changes become permanent. The commission adopted the measures in a January order. However, some commenters cautioned that further study is needed before making permanent a default “off” position of IP CTS devices and software to prevent inadvertent use, warning of harm to the hard-of-hearing community.