Comment Date: May 4, 2020
Reply Comment Date: May 11, 2020
On April 20, 2020, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on a consumer groups’ petition asking the FCC to:
(1) temporarily waive certain Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) user registration requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
(2) issue a declaratory ruling that TRS providers can receive compensation from the TRS Fund for the distribution of software used for TRS access by deafblind individuals, including those who do not meet the low-income threshold to qualify for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program.
Public Notice:
URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/seeking-comment-consumer-groups-petition-regarding-trs-rules
PDF: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-427A1.pdf
Word: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-427A1.docx
Text: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-427A1.txt
Petition for Emergency Waiver and Declaratory Ruling:
https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/1040206364837/2020.04.02%20TDI%20AADB%20et%20al.%20Relay%20Emergency%20Waiver%20and%20Declaratory%20Ruling%20Petition.pdf
General information on TRS is available at https://www.fcc.gov/general/telecommunications-relay-services-trs. For further information, please contact Bill Wallace, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-2716, or William.Wallace@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).