Sorenson Communications and smaller video relay service providers disagreed on how the FCC should structure VRS compensation rates after a current four-year schedule of declining rates expires June 30. Two consumer groups said the commission should ensure deaf and hard-of-hearing VRS users receive communications service that's functionally equivalent to other consumer services. The parties filed comments posted Monday and Tuesday in response to a recent FCC Further NPRM on VRS provider compensation rates and other issues (see 1703230055).

The FCC voted 3-0 to approve an item aimed at improving video relay services (VRS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, as expected (see 1703220013). The item adopted at the commissioners' meeting Thursday contains orders that would authorize trials using American Sign Language (ASL) relay interpreters with specialized technical knowledge and, in some cases, deaf interpreters. It also contains a notice of inquiry (NOI) and a Further NPRM that proposed a new four-year schedule of VRS provider compensation rates and sought comment on various plans, including one offered by smaller providers to raise their rates, and alternatives. Sorenson Communications recently submitted "less regulatory" proposals, responding to a draft's inclusion of the small-provider plan which would lower its compensation (see 1703080060).

Smaller providers "applauded" the FCC's draft video relay service item tentatively set for a March 23 commissioners' vote (see 1703020070). CSDVRS (ZVRS), Purple Communications, ASL Services Holdings (GlobalVRS) and Convo Communications praised the agency for soliciting comment on their joint VRS compensation rate proposal in a draft Further NPRM, notice of inquiry and order. "Proposed reforms would greatly benefit the deaf community, protect the long term stability of the TRS [telecom relay service] Fund, relieve pressure on contributors to the Fund, help smaller providers grow to scale, and promote competition for VRS," said a joint filing posted Tuesday in docket 10-51 on a meeting with an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. "The non-dominant VRS providers’ four-year rate proposal would move each provider in the market closer to a reasonable operating margin, thereby helping the non-dominant providers remain in operation as planned competitive reforms are implemented." Their proposal would raise compensation rates for all traffic tiers, except for the highest tier covering VRS leader Sorenson Communications, which would see another rate cut. The smaller firms said they would be interested in a prohibition of "non-compete clauses" that restrict the pool of VRS interpreters and urged the FCC to adopt a new rate order by June 30, when the current schedule expires. "The proposed [Further] NPRM has broad support, reflects the hard work and thinking of the Commission and should not be undermined by last minute alternative proposals that disregard the Deaf community’s needs and consumer choice," they said in a filing on a discussion with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. In a meeting with the O'Rielly aide summarized in a filing, Sorenson officials discussed a previous filing, which proposed a VRS rate auction and price-cap proposal and criticized the smaller providers' proposal (see 1703080060). Sorenson's rate proposals wouldn't incorporate its historical debt levels or debt service, said the company, which also noted its role as a major employer of the deaf and developer of VRS functionalities. Hamilton Relay said it agreed with a draft order provision to direct the TRS Fund administrator not to withhold payments to a VRS provider for failing to meet a speed-of-answer standard if it has a waiver pending on "exigent circumstances." But Hamilton asked that the relief be extended to all TRS providers in a future proceeding, and proposed language, said a filing on a meeting with Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau staffers.

Sorenson Communications said an FCC draft Further NPRM "missed an opportunity" to explore "less regulatory" proposals for new video relay service compensation rates, though it praised agency transparency in releasing text and its effort to provide "certainty and stability." The largest VRS provider urged the FCC to seek comment on a "market-based" auction proposal for setting price caps that the company outlined this week. GlobalVRS, a smaller provider, rejected Sorenson's plan. Commissioners tentatively plan to vote March 23 on a draft VRS order, FNPRM and notice of inquiry that prominently sought comment on the proposals of smaller providers to increase rates except for the highest traffic tier covering Sorenson, which would be cut further (see 1703020070 and 1703030053).

Sorenson Communications asked the FCC to revise a waiver that gave VTCSecure, as a provider of direct video calling customer-support services, access to the telecom relay service numbering directory (see 1701190038). Three bureaus "failed to address a critical issue" raised by video relay service providers: "if VTCSecure is permitted to place the same telephone number available to hearing users into the Directory, that will cause providers to route all deaf-initiated calls to that number via a point-to-point call and will prevent deaf consumers from placing a VRS [video relay service] call to that number," said a Sorenson petition for reconsideration posted Friday in docket 10-51. "Sorenson supports and recognizes the benefits of direct sign-language customer-support services, and has no objection to dedicated numbers for point-to-point calls. It simply believes that the Waiver Order will have the unintended negative consequence of limiting options for deaf consumers if VTCSecure places general customer service numbers into the Directory. Amending the order to require that direct sign-language customer-support numbers be separate and distinct from the number used by hearing users would ensure that deaf users have the choice of using VRS or making a point-to-point call."

FCC commissioners approved 3-0 a consent decree under which telecom relay service (TRS) providers Purple Communications and CSDVRS agreed to repay $9.1 million for failing to submit accurate data to the TRS administrator and to use a reasonable process for verifying the registration information of thousands of TRS users. ZVRS, meanwhile, announced Wednesday it's buying Purple, combining it with CSDVRS, a company it already owns.

Neustar asked the FCC to approve the company's planned sale to Aerial Investors, a company formed by Golden Gate Private Equity. The privatization should be approved "because the nature of Neustar’s business and its day-to-day management will not change, and Neustar will remain impartial and neutral after the change to new ownership," said a filing Wednesday in docket 92-237, noting the company is administrator of the North American numbering plan, local number portability (LNP), pooling and telecom relay service numbering. "To ensure that Neustar remains impartial and neutral, its new ownership has agreed to implement the Neutrality Plan ... pursuant to which the entire ownership interest in Neustar will be placed in a voting trust controlled by Golden Gate Capital, which is unaffiliated with any U.S. telecommunications service provider, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol provider, or internet-based TRS provider." The sale, which already received antitrust clearance and could be reviewed by the executive branch's "Team Telecom," isn't expected to slow the LNP administrator transition to iconectiv (see 1612140062). Meanwhile, North American Portability Management filed its latest monthly status report on the LNP administrator transition in docket 09-109. NAPM said it, PwC and iconectiv had executed a draft four-way nondisclosure agreement provided by Neustar that will facilitate transition meetings (see 1701180049). Neustar asked the FCC to reverse a bureau letter siding with NAPM in a dispute over those terms (see 1701190030).

FCC staff granted VTCSecure's petition for a waiver to allow it, as a provider of direct video calling customer-support services, to get access to the telecom relay service (TRS) numbering directory. The Wireline and Consumer and Governmental Affairs bureau chiefs also approved a VTCSecure "request for a declaratory ruling that video relay service (VRS) providers must route and connect all direct voice, video and text calls" between phone numbers in the TRS directory. "Allowing VTCSecure access to the TRS Numbering Directory will enable individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have a speech disability to move closer to obtaining the functional equivalency Congress envisioned in enacting Title IV of the [Americans with Disabilities Act]," said the bureaus' order in docket 10-51 listed in Thursday's Daily Digest. VTCSecure's petition said its direct sign-language support service allows the deaf and hard of hearing to communicate with certain customer-service personnel fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), rather than going through sign-language interpreters who relay communications to hearing customer-service personnel (see 1607070003). Deaf advocates and Gallaudet University backed the petition, while VRS providers opposed it (see 1608180036 and 1609020033). "We agree with Gallaudet University that, “[w]ith direct video communications, especially if the call takers are members of the deaf community themselves, the risk for mistranslations between ASL and English is eliminated, and thus the risk for costly and frustrating misunderstandings is also greatly reduced, if not eliminated," said the bureau order. FCC Republicans and Sorenson Communications, the biggest VRS provider, didn't comment.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler sees important next steps for the agency on accessible communications, he told Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. “We plan to encourage additional government agencies and businesses to adopt DVC [direct video communications] to improve communications services for individuals with hearing and speech disabilities and further reduce expenditures from the TRS [telecom relay service] Fund,” Wheeler told them in a Dec. 20 letter, released this week. “The Commission also continues to move forward with its efforts to achieve interoperability of video communications for people with hearing and speech disabilities so they can use VRS [video relay service] anytime with anyone using any VRS provider. … We plan to use these [prototype video call routing platform and an experimental] software tools to verify VRS provider compliance with FCC interoperability standards and ensure that consumers with hearing and speech disabilities can fully utilize modern video communication devices given to them by VRS providers.”

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler sees important next steps for the agency on accessible communications, he told Reps. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. “We plan to encourage additional government agencies and businesses to adopt DVC [direct video communications] to improve communications services for individuals with hearing and speech disabilities and further reduce expenditures from the TRS [telecom relay service] Fund,” Wheeler told them in a Dec. 20 letter, released this week. “The Commission also continues to move forward with its efforts to achieve interoperability of video communications for people with hearing and speech disabilities so they can use VRS [video relay service] anytime with anyone using any VRS provider. … We plan to use these [prototype video call routing platform and an experimental] software tools to verify VRS provider compliance with FCC interoperability standards and ensure that consumers with hearing and speech disabilities can fully utilize modern video communication devices given to them by VRS providers.”