FCC Eliminates Outdated Telecommunications Relay Services Regulations

Today the FCC eliminated three outdated regulations governing telecommunications relay services (TRS). In doing so, the Commission took a step in the direction of making these services, which are so important to improving the quality of life for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities, more cost-effective and efficient.

The three rule changes were repealing the no longer relevant "equal access" and "billing option" requirements, along eliminating a Federal Registration requirement that is no longer necessary in light of the prevalent electronic publication. As the FCC said in its Report and Order, "[t]hese rules are no longer necessary to achieve functional equivalence between TRS users and users of voice communications services."

While the FCC's action today in eliminating the three rules was not controversial, it nevertheless is important because it shows a commitment by the agency to keep an eye on continual "modernization" of the rules governing TRS offerings. Indeed, the Communications Act requires the Commission to ensure that telecommunications relay services, including Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS), are made available "to the extent possible and in the most efficient manner."

With regard to IP CTS, there is more that the Commission can do to modernize its rules to make that program, which allows individuals with a hearing impairment to both read captions and use their residual hearing to understand a telephone conversation, more cost-effective. Last year, I published this Perspectives from FSF Scholars advocating certain IP CTS reform proposals.

I hope that when the time is ripe the Commission will consider these proposals in the context of further modernization. For today, I applaud the Commission for taking the modest steps it did to improve the Telecommunications Relay Services.