ITTA slammed a Kairos Partners filing on behalf of enterprise users that urged the FCC to continue to prohibit carriers from "identifying" telecom relay service costs as line items on consumer bills to not "stigmatize disabled individuals" (see 1902200049). Kairos "is merely doubling down on the same red herrings, hyperbole, and misreadings of precedent that have characterized their prior filings," emailed the mid-size telco group, which has petitioned the agency for a TRS billing ruling and cited its July 3 reply as addressing criticisms. "ITTA has made it abundantly clear that ITTA is not seeking in this petition to specifically identify on consumers’ bills costs attributable to TRS. Rather, ITTA’s ask is that the Commission issue a declaratory ruling that it is and always has been permissible for a carrier recovering TRS Fund contributions via an end user cost recovery fee line item (or the like) on customers’ bills to include TRS, among other references, in the line item description. This properly balances Commission precedent both with respect to TRS and Truth-in-Billing."

The FCC should continue to bar carriers from identifying telecom relay service costs as line items on consumer bills, said 3M, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Office Depot, Sears and other enterprise users in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 03-123. They said the FCC could soon rule on an ITTA petition "that could alter" the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and "the civil rights of all disabled individuals," including "the deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired communities." ITTA plus AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink "are pressuring the FCC" to overturn a rule prohibiting carriers "from identifying the cost of [TRS] (a Title IV, ADA service) as a fee, surcharge or line-item on customer invoices," the enterprise users said. The ADA "prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities," they wrote. "It would be a violation of the ADA to stigmatize disabled individuals as a 'cost burden' by identifying the cost of providing an ADA service on any consumer invoice."

Commissioners approved 5-0 a Connect America Fund order to transition from legacy, Phase I price-cap incumbent telco support to CAF II support won at auction last year. As some expected (see 1902130054), the FCC stuck to a draft decision to decline a USTelecom proposal for interim voice support in certain areas, though it did make tweaks in response to ILEC requests. At Thursday's meeting, members also unanimously approved an IP captioned telephone service order, Further NPRM and order aimed at enhancing program management, combating abuse and improving emergency call management.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska seeks comment on changes to telecom relay service rules, the RCA said last week as it opened docket R-19-001. The commission is implementing 2018 amendments to state law including expanding assessment of the surcharge to wireless service and adding more telecom devices to the program, said a Thursday notice. Comments are due March 11.

Tidal Wave Telecom asked the FCC to waive rules barring "non-Video Relay Service" providers from getting access to a telecom relay service numbering directory. TWT wants such access to "deploy technology solutions," including to enable jails and prisons "to identify incoming and outgoing VRS calls received and made by deaf or hard-of-hearing ... inmates where such monitoring is permitted," it petitioned, posted Wednesday in docket 03-123. It said the request is similar to VTC Secure's, approved in January 2017 (see 1701190038), and will "decrease costs and abuse of the TRS fund, increase security at correctional facilities, and promote lawful communications."

The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:​​

The FCC plans to vote on an order to drive down Connect America Fund Phase I support in price-cap telco areas where CAF Phase II auction winners will receive support and in the areas that weren't eligible for the auction, said the tentative agenda for the Jan. 30 commissioners' meeting. Commissioners will consider a caller-ID spoofing NPRM, an IP captioned telephone service (IP CTS) order and Further NPRM, an NPRM proposing changes to the rules on applications for noncommercial education stations and low-power FM stations, and a media modernization order to eliminate requirements for broadcaster midterm equal employment opportunity reports.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission supported a program to provide wireless devices to people with disabilities. Commissioners voted 5-0 Thursday for Chairman Gladys Brown’s motion to expand the Telecommunications Device Distribution Program (TDDP), the PUC said. The action includes granting a proposed $458,179 budget for wireless device distribution within Pennsylvania’s telephone relay service (TRS) for three years. “This is another step toward enhancing communications capabilities for low-income Pennsylvanians with disabilities,” Brown said. Also, commissioners voted 4-1 for Commissioner Norman Kennard’s motion to review TRS and TDDP for possible updates. It seeks a Audits Bureau report and creates a task force with TRS Advisory Board members, program participants, statutory advocates, wireline and wireless service providers and other experts.

Parties backed an FCC effort to improve 911 calling and location accuracy, noting technical challenges. There was broad support for proposals to implement Kari's Law requirements requiring 911 direct dialing from multiline telephone systems (MLTS) in larger enterprises. Industry resisted some potential regulations, particularly on a Ray Baum's Act (see 1812110052) mandate to consider requiring "dispatchable location" information is conveyed with calls to responders. Telecom and VoIP providers, equipment makers, public safety entities, enterprise groups and others filed over 30 comments in docket 18-261 through Tuesday on an NPRM (see 1809260047).

Video relay service providers pressed the FCC to pause interoperability obligations and let them serve VRS users while users' verification is pending through a telecom relay service user registration database. A "limited" waiver suspending temporarily implementation of a VRS Access Technology Reference Platform (VATRP App) and associated technical specifications (RUE Profile) is justified, given "diverging trends" and the absence of "any interoperability problem or consumer need," filed ASL Services (Global VRS), Convo Communications, CSDVRS (ZVRS), Purple Communications and Sorenson Communications on meeting staffers of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau and Office of Managing Director, Friday in docket 10-51. Even though providers have "successfully" addressed interoperability issues, the VATRP App and Rue Profile requirements "expanded beyond the original scope that the Commission conceived in 2013 as a testing tool for interoperability, adding new 'features' that providers must support, at the cost of millions to the [TRS] Fund and the Providers."