On July 31, 2024, the FCC released a new compensation plan for the provision of Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS), a form of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS).
The new plan adopts separate compensation rates for IP CTS using Communications Assistants (CAs) and IP CTS using only Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) programs. The FCC also adopts a supplemental compensation rate for minutes of service using CAs, which is applicable if the CA producing captions was paid a specified minimum hourly rate.
The Report and Order adopts a five-year compensation plan through June 30, 2029, with annual adjustments for inflation for CA-assisted IP CTS. For the first year, the per-minute compensation rate for ASR-only IP CTS is $1.17, a 10% decrease, and the rate for CA-assisted IP CTS is $1.35, a $0.05 increase, from the current $1.30 per minute for both formats. The supplemental rate for CA-assisted IP CTS in the first year is $0.21.
Link to IP CTS Compensation Report and Order and Order:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-adopts-ip-captioned-telephone-service-5-year-compensation-plan
For general information about IP CTS, visit. https://www.fcc.gov/ip-cts. For further information about this item, 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.