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Background
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) allows
persons with hearing or speech disabilities to place and receive
telephone calls. A communications assistant (CA) relays the call
back and forth between the person with a hearing or speech
disability and a voice telephone user. For example, a person
with a hearing disability can communicate in text with the CA,
while the CA communicates by voice with the other party to the
call. The CA repeats in voice what the user has typed, and types
to the TRS user what the voice telephone user has said.
There are several types of TRS that
consumers can use depending on the nature of the disability and
whether they have some hearing and can speak. TRS types include
traditional TRS, which uses a text telephone or TTY device and a
telephone line, Speech-to-Speech (STS), and Captioned Telephone
Service, as well as forms of TRS that use the Internet,
specifically Internet Protocol (IP) Relay, and Video Relay
Service (VRS). IP Captioned Telephone Service is one of the
newest forms of TRS. For a description of the various types of
TRS, see FCC’s consumer fact sheet at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trs.html.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
has ruled that all IP Captioned Telephone Service calls could be
compensated from the Interstate TRS Fund. Like all TRS calls,
the relay costs associated with IP Captioned Telephone Service
are not paid by users. The FCC does not mandate the provision of
IP Captioned Telephone Service, and, given the way the service
works, exempts it from certain minimum mandatory standards for
TRS, such as emergency 911 service, three-way calling, and speed
dialing.
How IP Captioned Telephone Service Works
IP Captioned Telephone Service is essentially
a combination of two other forms of TRS, Captioned Telephone
Service and IP Relay. Captioned Telephone Service uses a special
telephone that has a text screen to display captions of what the
other party to the conversation is saying. It allows a person
with hearing loss, but who wants to use his or her own voice, to
speak directly to the called party and then listen, to the
extent possible, to the other party and simultaneously read
captions of what the other party is saying. Unlike traditional
TRS, which uses typed text, the CA repeats or revoices what is
said, and speech recognition technology automatically
transcribes the CA’s voice into text transmitted directly to the
user’s captioned telephone text display. IP
Relay is a text-based form of TRS. The CA voices what the IP
Relay user has typed, and types to the user what the other party
to the call has said. Unlike traditional TRS, however, the first
leg of a call – the text – goes from the caller’s computer or
other Web-enabled device to the IP Relay center via the
Internet, rather than the regular telephone network. To begin a
call, the user accesses an IP Relay provider via a Web page. As
with traditional TRS, the second leg of the IP Relay call, from
the CA to the called party, uses the voice telephone network.
For more information on IP Relay, see FCC’s consumer fact sheet
at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/iprelay.html.
IP Captioned Telephone Service uses the Internet, rather than
the telephone network, to provide the captions of what the other
party is saying. Although this service can be provided in a
variety of ways, the user (who generally can speak and has some
residual hearing) may make a voice to voice call to another
party on a standard telephone using the normal telephone
network. The called party’s response is directed from the user’s
telephone to a personal computer or similar device that routes
it to the IP Captioned Telephone Service provider via the
Internet. The provider then sends back to the user’s computer
the text of what was spoken. As a result, the user can both
hear, to the extent possible, the called party’s response over
the normal telephone network, and simultaneously read the text
routed via the Internet to the user’s computer or similar
device. Benefits of IP Captioned Telephone
Service
IP Captioned Telephone Service allows
consumers to use a computer or similar device, rather than a
specialized captioned telephone, to make captioned telephone
calls. As a result, the service can become more widely available
to consumers. In addition, it takes advantage of the increased
availability of computers and Internet connections in the work
place to permit persons with hearing loss to more effectively
use the telephone in their jobs. Further, captions can be
displayed on a computer screen in large text, variable fonts,
and color, thus accommodating a wider group of disabled users,
including individuals with hearing disabilities who also have
low vision. Filing a Complaint with the
FCC
If you have a problem with IP Captioned Telephone Service, first
try to resolve it with the provider. If you are unable to
resolve it directly, you can file a complaint with the FCC.
There is no charge for filing a complaint. You can file your
complaint using the on-line complaint Form 2000C found on the
FCC Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html. You can also file your
complaint with the FCC’s Consumer Center by e-mailing
fccinfo@fcc.gov; calling
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to: Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and
Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554.
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
the FCC needs to process your complaint is to complete fully the
on-line complaint Form 2000C. If you do not use the on-line
complaint Form 2000C, your complaint, at a minimum, should
indicate:
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your name, address, e-mail address, and
phone number where you can be reached;
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whether you are filing a complaint on
behalf of another party, and if so, the party’s name,
address, email address, day time phone number, and your
relationship to the party;
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preferred format or method of response
(letter, fax, voice phone call, email, TRS, TTY, ASCII text,
audio recording, or Braille);
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that your complaint is about TRS;
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the name, address, and telephone number
(if known) of the company or companies involved with your
complaint; and
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a brief description of your complaint
and the resolution you are seeking, and a full description
of the equipment or service you are complaining about,
including date of purchase, use, or attempt to use.
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For More
Information
For more information about
IP Captioned Telephone Service or TRS, or to learn more
about FCC programs to promote access to telecommunications
services for people with disabilities, visit the FCC’s
Disability Rights Office Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro. For information about other
telecommunications issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact the Consumer Center using
the information provided for filing a complaint. |
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Federal Communications Commission
