The FCC set the pleading cycle for proposed telecom relay service funding and payment formulas for the program year beginning July 1. Comments on the proposal from TRS administrator Rolka Loube Associates are due May 24 and replies June 3, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice in docket 10-51 listed in Tuesday's Daily Digest. Rolka proposed $1.14 billion in funding and an industry contribution factor of 1.86 percent of carrier interstate and international telecom end user revenues. It proposed per-minute compensation rates of $2.62 for interstate traditional TRS, $3.76 for interstate speech-to-speech relay service and $1.91 for interstate captioned telephone service and interstate and intrastate IP captioned telephone service, all of which are subject to a multistate average rate structure methodology. It also proposed a cut in the $1.37/minute IP relay service compensation rate to $1.21/minute. Rolka didn't make a proposal on video relay service rates because the commission already established a schedule of declining rates, as modified in March, to provide some relief for small, Tier 1 video relay service (VRS) providers with fewer than 500,000 calling minutes per month (see 1603020033 and 1603030065). But it said the weighted average of VRS provider reported projected costs (excluding outreach) of $2.72 per minute remains "well below" the FCC's related compensation rates for the coming year. Providers have disputed FCC cost assessments. The PN sought comment on various other questions and issues related to the TRS program.

The FCC set the pleading cycle for proposed telecom relay service funding and payment formulas for the program year beginning July 1. Comments on the proposal from TRS administrator Rolka Loube Associates are due May 24 and replies June 3, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice in docket 10-51 listed in Tuesday's Daily Digest. Rolka proposed $1.14 billion in funding and an industry contribution factor of 1.86 percent of carrier interstate and international telecom end user revenues. It proposed per-minute compensation rates of $2.62 for interstate traditional TRS, $3.76 for interstate speech-to-speech relay service and $1.91 for interstate captioned telephone service and interstate and intrastate IP captioned telephone service, all of which are subject to a multistate average rate structure methodology. It also proposed a cut in the $1.37/minute IP relay service compensation rate to $1.21/minute. Rolka didn't make a proposal on video relay service rates because the commission already established a schedule of declining rates, as modified in March, to provide some relief for small, Tier 1 video relay service (VRS) providers with fewer than 500,000 calling minutes per month (see 1603020033 and 1603030065). But it said the weighted average of VRS provider reported projected costs (excluding outreach) of $2.72 per minute remains "well below" the FCC's related compensation rates for the coming year. Providers have disputed FCC cost assessments. The PN sought comment on various other questions and issues related to the TRS program.

The Iowa Utilities Board issued a request for proposal to select a service provider for the state’s telecom relay service, Relay Iowa, and captioned telephone relay service, CapTel Relay. The board plans to award a three-year contract -- Jan. 1, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2019 -- with one possible three-year extension, according to the RFP. The board will use a formal competitive process to choose the provider, and plans to announce the contract on or about Sept. 20, it said. Proposals are due June 30. Relay Iowa provides phone accessibility in English and Spanish, to people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking. CapTel Relay service enables users to view word-for-word captions of phone conversations and requires the use of a specialized captioned telephone.

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

Hamilton Relay asked for FCC interim relief from equal-access and billing-option duties for offering traditional telecom relay services (TRS) and captioned telephone services (CTS). In a petition Tuesday in docket 03-123, Hamilton said it and Sprint petitioned in September for a rulemaking to modify rules requiring TRS and CTS providers (1) to offer consumers with hearing disabilities access to their long-distance carrier of choice to the same extent they do for voice users (equal access) and (2) to be able to handle any type of call normally provided by telecom carriers "to the extent that it requires providers to offer users the same billing options (e.g., sent-paid long distance, operator-assisted, collect, and third party billing) traditionally offered to wireline voice users." Sprint also sought interim relief from those rules in September, and Hamilton is now requesting a similar interim waiver until whenever the FCC adopts a permanent exemption from the rules. "Even underlying carriers are actively seeking to discontinue such services," said Hamilton. "AT&T has filed a petition to discontinue operator services, among other services" (see 1603080036).

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

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Thursday released a resolution, which the Disability Advisory Committee approved Tuesday, on calls to N11 numbers, such as 211 for community health and disaster information (see 1602230066). The committee found that people with disabilities often cannot call N11 numbers. The resolution states that the DAC recommends “the FCC provide clarification of current [Telecommunications Relay Services] rules and remind TRS providers of their obligation to handle N-1-1 calls and, if appropriate, institute an inquiry to find out the extent to which people who use Telecommunications Relay Services are able to contact their local or regional N-1-1 services.” The FCC also released the text of a DAC resolution urging the agency to issue a rulemaking on phasing out text technology (TTY) in favor of real-time text (RTT). “As new technology emerges for voice communications, additional guidance from the FCC, as part of a rulemaking, is necessary to reflect changing consumer behavior and preferences,” the resolution said. “The FCC has recognized the limitations of TTY on some wireless networks, while also recognizing the potential of RTT services.”

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Thursday released a resolution, which the Disability Advisory Committee approved Tuesday, on calls to N11 numbers, such as 211 for community health and disaster information (see 1602230066). The committee found that people with disabilities often cannot call N11 numbers. The resolution states that the DAC recommends “the FCC provide clarification of current [Telecommunications Relay Services] rules and remind TRS providers of their obligation to handle N-1-1 calls and, if appropriate, institute an inquiry to find out the extent to which people who use Telecommunications Relay Services are able to contact their local or regional N-1-1 services.” The FCC also released the text of a DAC resolution urging the agency to issue a rulemaking on phasing out text technology (TTY) in favor of real-time text (RTT). “As new technology emerges for voice communications, additional guidance from the FCC, as part of a rulemaking, is necessary to reflect changing consumer behavior and preferences,” the resolution said. “The FCC has recognized the limitations of TTY on some wireless networks, while also recognizing the potential of RTT services.”

The FCC should issue a rulemaking on phasing out text technology (TTY) in favor of real-time text (RTT), the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee agreed Tuesday. The DAC, meeting at FCC headquarters, approved a report on the move away from TTY.

IDT Telecom received somewhat more support than opposition to its bid for an FCC rulemaking aimed at expanding the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund’s revenue base to include the intrastate revenue of industry contributors (see 1512210029). IDT’s petition got support from a coalition of consumer groups that advocate for the rights of the deaf and hard of hearing, and from some industry parties, including two video relay service (VRS) providers. But a VoIP industry group opposed the petition and an incumbent telco group said the FCC shouldn't make changes to the TRS Fund’s contribution at this time. The initial comments of parties were posted in docket 03-123 Thursday and Friday. The FCC currently assesses industry interstate and international telecom end-user revenue to pay for the TRS Fund.