IP-Enabled Services; Implementation of Sections 255 and 251(a)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934, as Enacted by The Telecommunications Act of 1996: Access to Telecommunications Service, Telecommunications Equipment and Customer Premises Equipment by Persons With Disabilities; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals With Hearing and Speech Disabilities, 37624-37625 [E9-18008]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
37624
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Rules and Regulations
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 64
[WC Docket No. 04–36, CG Docket No. 03–
123, WT Docket No. 96–198 and CC Docket
No. 92–105; DA 09–1461]
IP–Enabled Services; Implementation
of Sections 255 and 251(a)(2) of the
Communications Act of 1934, as
Enacted by The Telecommunications
Act of 1996: Access to
Telecommunications Service,
Telecommunications Equipment and
Customer Premises Equipment by
Persons With Disabilities;
Telecommunications Relay Services
and Speech-to-Speech Services for
Individuals With Hearing and Speech
Disabilities
AGENCY: Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; extension of waiver.
In this document, the
Commission, via the Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, extends
the limited waiver granted in
Implementation of Sections 255 and
251(a)(2) of the Communications Act of
1934, as Enacted by the
Telecommunications Act of 1996:
Access to Telecommunications Service,
Telecommunications Equipment and
Customer Premises Equipment by
Persons with Disabilities;
Telecommunications Relay Services and
Speech-to-Speech Services for
Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities, Order (2009 TRS 711
Waiver Order), of the requirement that
traditional telecommunications relay
service (TRS) providers (those providing
relay service via the public switched
telephone network and a text telephone
(TTY)) must automatically and
immediately call an appropriate Public
Safety Answering Point (PSAP) when
receiving an emergency 711-dialed call
placed by an interconnected voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) user.
DATES: Effective June 26, 2009.
Traditional TRS providers are granted a
waiver until June 29, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa
Boehley, Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–7395
(voice), or e-mail: Lisa.Boehley@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
synopsis of the Commission’s document
DA 09–1461, adopted and released on
June 26, 2009. The full text of this
document and copies of any
subsequently filed documents in this
matter will be available for public
inspection and copying during regular
sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with RULES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Nov<24>2008
22:13 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
business hours at the FCC Reference
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th
Street, SW., Room CY–A257,
Washington, DC 20554. This document
and copies of subsequently filed
documents in this matter may also be
purchased from the Commission’s
duplicating contractor at Portals II, 445
12th Street, SW., Room CY–B402,
Washington, DC 20554. Customers may
contact the Commission’s duplicating
contractor at their Web site: https://
www.bcpiweb.com or call 1–800–378–
3160. To request materials in accessible
formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files,
audio format), send an e-mail to
fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer
and Governmental Affairs Bureau at
(202) 418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432
(TTY). This document can also be
downloaded in Word or Portable
Document Format (PDF) at: https://
www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro.
Synopsis
1. On June 15, 2007, the Commission
released the Report and Order (VoIP
TRS Order), published at 72 FR 43546,
August 6, 2007, WC Docket No. 04–36,
CG Docket No. 03–123, WT Docket No.
96–198 and CC Docket No. 92–105, FCC
07–110. In the VoIP TRS Order, the
Commission extended its pre-existing
TRS rules to interconnected VoIP
providers, including the duty to offer
711 abbreviated dialing access to TRS.
The VoIP TRS Order required
interconnected VoIP providers to offer
711 abbreviated dialing ‘‘to ensure that
TRS calls can be made from any
telephone, anywhere in the United
States, and that such calls will be
properly routed to the appropriate relay
center.’’
2. In the Order and Public Notice
Seeking Comment (October 2007 Order
and Notice), released on October 9,
2007, published at 72 FR 61813,
November 1, 2007, and 72 FR 61882,
November 1, 2007, WC Docket No. 04–
36, CG Docket No. 03–123, WT Docket
No. 96–198 and CC Docket No. 92–105,
DA 07–4178, the Commission clarified
the 711 abbreviated dialing requirement
adopted in the VoIP TRS Order and
granted interconnected VoIP providers a
six-month waiver of the requirement to
route the inbound leg of a 711-dialed
call to an ‘‘appropriate TRS provider,’’
as defined by the Commission. The
Commission also determined that the
geographic location identification
challenges associated with
interconnected VoIP-originated 711
calls rendered traditional TRS providers
unable to consistently identify the
‘‘appropriate’’ PSAP to which to route
such calls. On this basis, the
PO 00000
Frm 00130
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Commission found good cause to grant
traditional TRS providers a six-month
waiver of the obligation set forth in
§ 64.604(a)(4) of its rules to
automatically and immediately route
the outbound leg of an interconnected
VoIP-originated emergency 711 call to
an ‘‘appropriate’’ PSAP.
3. In the 2008 TRS 711 Waiver Order,
released on April 4, 2008, published at
73 FR 28057, May 15, 2008, WC Docket
No. 04–36, CG Docket No. 03–123, WT
Docket No. 96–198 and CC Docket No.
92–105, DA 07–4178, the Commission,
via the Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau, granted interconnected
VoIP providers an extension of time,
until March 31, 2009, to route 711dialed calls to an appropriate relay
center, in the context of 711-dialed calls
in which the calling party is using a
non-geographically relevant telephone
number or a nomadic interconnected
VoIP service. Traditional TRS providers
also were granted an extension of time,
until March 31, 2009, to fulfill their
obligation to implement a system to
automatically and immediately call an
appropriate PSAP when receiving an
emergency 711-dialed call via an
interconnected VoIP service.
4. In the 2009 TRS 711 Waiver Order,
released on April 1, 2009, published at
74 FR 20892, May 6, 2009, WC Docket
No. 04–36, CG Docket No. 03–123, WT
Docket No. 96–198 and CC Docket No.
92–105, DA 09–749, the Commission,
via the Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau, extended for 90 days
(until June 29, 2009) the limited waiver
granted to traditional TRS providers in
the 2008 TRS 711 Waiver Order. In
taking this action, the Commission
granted, to the extent provided therein,
a petition for extension of waiver filed
by AT&T and Sprint from the
requirement of § 64.604(a)(4) with
respect to traditional TRS providers’
duty to automatically and immediately
route emergency 711 calls that originate
on the network of an interconnected
VoIP provider. In view of the continued
technical and operational challenges
presented by this requirement, the
Commission found good cause to grant
traditional TRS providers an extension
of the waiver of § 64.604(a)(4) until June
29, 2009. The Commission allowed the
waiver relief previously granted to
interconnected VoIP providers to expire,
however, noting that progress had been
made toward resolving technical
difficulties previously associated with
the routing of 711-dialed calls by
interconnected VoIP providers.
6. In the Notice accompanying the
2009 TRS 711 Waiver Order, published
at 74 FR 21364, May 7, 2009, WC Docket
No. 04–36, CG Docket No. 03–123, WT
E:\FR\FM\29JYR1.SGM
29JYR1
sroberts on DSKD5P82C1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Rules and Regulations
Docket No. 96–198 and CC Docket No.
92–105, DA 09–749, the Commission,
via the Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau, sought comment on any
remaining compliance issues that
currently prevent traditional TRS
providers from reliably identifying the
appropriate PSAP to call when receiving
an emergency call via 711 and an
interconnected VoIP service. In
addition, the Commission sought
comment on: (1) The total number of
interconnected VoIP-originated 711 TRS
calls that are processed annually by
interconnected VoIP and traditional
TRS providers, and the proportion of
those calls that are of an emergency
nature; (2) the continuing need, from the
consumer’s perspective, to be able to
dial 711 via TRS in an emergency,
rather than dialing 911 directly; (3) any
impediments consumers have
encountered in attempting to dial 911
directly; (4) the effectiveness of
providers’ outreach efforts in educating
consumers about the importance of
dialing 911 directly in an emergency
when using a TTY and an
interconnected VoIP service; and (5) the
continuing use of TTYs by individuals
with hearing or speech disabilities and,
in particular, the use of TTYs with an
interconnected VoIP service.
7. On June 11, 2009, AT&T filed a
petition seeking an indefinite extension
of the waiver of § 64.604(a)(4), asserting
that traditional TRS providers ‘‘still
cannot determine the appropriate PSAP
to route a VoIP-originated 711
emergency call due to the inaccessibility
of registered location information.’’ See
Implementation of Sections 255 and 251
(a)(2) of the Communications Act of
1934, as Enacted by the
Telecommunications Act of 1996:
Access to Telecommunications Service,
Telecommunications Equipment and
Customer Premises Equipment by
Persons with Disabilities;
Telecommunications Relay Services and
Speech-to-Speech Service for
Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities, WC Docket No. 04–36, WT
Docket No. 96–198, CG Docket No. 03–
123 & CC Docket No. 92–105, Petition
for Extension of Wavier at 2 (filed June
11, 2009).
8. In this document, the Commission,
via the Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau, extends until June 29,
2010, the current limited waiver of
§ 64.604(a)(4) of the Commission’s rules,
to the extent it applies to traditional
TRS providers’ obligation to
automatically and immediately route
the outbound leg of an interconnected
VoIP-originated emergency 711 call to
an appropriate PSAP. Notwithstanding
this action, the Commission notes that
VerDate Nov<24>2008
22:13 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
if a caller using a TTY connected to an
interconnected VoIP service calls a
PSAP directly as a 911-dialed
emergency call (as a text-to-text, or TTYto-TTY call), the 911-dialed call will be
routed automatically and immediately
through the selective router over the
wireline E911 network to the PSAP that
serves the caller’s Registered Location,
just as it would be for a hearing caller
via an interconnected VoIP service.
9. The record reflects that the
remaining technical and operational
challenges of compliance with this
requirement are formidable and that a
comprehensive resolution of these
issues will require significant, ongoing
collaboration among a variety of
industry stakeholders. At the same time,
the comments suggest that the
increasing popularity and availability of
Internet-based forms of TRS have
significantly reduced the number of
consumers with broadband Internet
access who communicate via a TTY and
an interconnected VoIP service, rather
than via an Internet-based form of TRS.
Moreover, the introduction of more
forward-looking solutions, such as the
‘‘real-time text’’ solution described in
the record, is likely to diminish further
the incidence of TTY use with an
interconnected VoIP service. Taken
together, these findings lead to the
conclusion that, while TTY use by
interconnected VoIP consumers may be
on the decline, there remain deaf and
hard of hearing consumers who
continue to rely on TTYs. Therefore,
while the Commission finds good cause
to extend for an additional year the
limited waiver previously granted to
traditional TRS providers, in light of the
continuing technical and operational
challenges described in the record, the
Commission declines to extend the
waiver indefinitely.
10. Finally, the Commission
concludes that, during the period of this
waiver, any traditional TRS provider
that cannot automatically and
immediately route to an appropriate
PSAP the outbound leg of an
interconnected VoIP-originated
emergency 711 call, as required by
§ 64.604(a)(4) of the Commission’s rules,
must maintain a system for doing so, to
the extent feasible, that accomplishes
the proper routing of emergency 711
calls as quickly and efficiently as
possible. This waiver is, therefore,
conditioned on continued compliance
with that requirement. Further, during
this period, TRS providers and
interconnected VoIP providers must
continue to undertake consumer
education and outreach designed to
remind individuals with hearing or
speech disabilities to dial 911 directly
PO 00000
Frm 00131
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
37625
(as a text-to-text, TTY-to-TTY call) in an
emergency. The Commission also
expects TRS providers to continue their
collaboration with interconnected VoIP
providers and other industry
stakeholders in order to resolve any
remaining compliance issues associated
with the processing and routing of
interconnected VoIP-originated 711
emergency calls.
Ordering Clauses
Pursuant to Sections 1, 2, and 225 of
the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, and 225,
and Sections 0.141, 0.361, and 1.3 of the
Commission’s rules, 47 CFR 0.141,
0.316 and 1.3, document DA 09–1461 is
adopted.
Section 64.604(a)(4) of the
Commission’s rules, 47 CFR
64.604(a)(4), to the extent that it
requires traditional TRS providers to
implement a system to automatically
and immediately call an appropriate
PSAP when receiving an emergency
711-dialed call via an interconnected
VoIP service, is waived until June 29,
2010.
Federal Communications Commission.
Suzanne M. Tetreault,
Acting Chief, Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. E9–18008 Filed 7–28–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Acquisition Regulations
System
48 CFR Parts 201, 207, 215, and 237
RIN 0750–AG28
Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement; Peer Reviews
of Contracts (DFARS Case 2008–D035)
AGENCY: Defense Acquisition
Regulations System, Department of
Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: DoD has issued a final rule
amending the Defense Federal
Acquisition Regulation Supplement
(DFARS) to address requirements for
Peer Reviews of DoD solicitations and
contracts. Such reviews will promote
quality and consistency in DoD
contracting.
DATES: Effective Date: July 29, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Cassandra Freeman, Defense
Acquisition Regulations System, OUSD
(AT&L) DPAP (DARS), IMD 3D139, 3062
Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC
E:\FR\FM\29JYR1.SGM
29JYR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 29, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 37624-37625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-18008]
[[Page 37624]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 64
[WC Docket No. 04-36, CG Docket No. 03-123, WT Docket No. 96-198 and CC
Docket No. 92-105; DA 09-1461]
IP-Enabled Services; Implementation of Sections 255 and 251(a)(2)
of the Communications Act of 1934, as Enacted by The Telecommunications
Act of 1996: Access to Telecommunications Service, Telecommunications
Equipment and Customer Premises Equipment by Persons With Disabilities;
Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for
Individuals With Hearing and Speech Disabilities
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; extension of waiver.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission, via the Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, extends the limited waiver granted in
Implementation of Sections 255 and 251(a)(2) of the Communications Act
of 1934, as Enacted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Access to
Telecommunications Service, Telecommunications Equipment and Customer
Premises Equipment by Persons with Disabilities; Telecommunications
Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with
Hearing and Speech Disabilities, Order (2009 TRS 711 Waiver Order), of
the requirement that traditional telecommunications relay service (TRS)
providers (those providing relay service via the public switched
telephone network and a text telephone (TTY)) must automatically and
immediately call an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
when receiving an emergency 711-dialed call placed by an interconnected
voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) user.
DATES: Effective June 26, 2009. Traditional TRS providers are granted a
waiver until June 29, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Boehley, Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-7395 (voice), or e-mail:
Lisa.Boehley@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's
document DA 09-1461, adopted and released on June 26, 2009. The full
text of this document and copies of any subsequently filed documents in
this matter will be available for public inspection and copying during
regular business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals
II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. This
document and copies of subsequently filed documents in this matter may
also be purchased from the Commission's duplicating contractor at
Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554.
Customers may contact the Commission's duplicating contractor at their
Web site: https://www.bcpiweb.com or call 1-800-378-3160. To request
materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille,
large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to
fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at
(202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). This document can also be
downloaded in Word or Portable Document Format (PDF) at: https://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro.
Synopsis
1. On June 15, 2007, the Commission released the Report and Order
(VoIP TRS Order), published at 72 FR 43546, August 6, 2007, WC Docket
No. 04-36, CG Docket No. 03-123, WT Docket No. 96-198 and CC Docket No.
92-105, FCC 07-110. In the VoIP TRS Order, the Commission extended its
pre-existing TRS rules to interconnected VoIP providers, including the
duty to offer 711 abbreviated dialing access to TRS. The VoIP TRS Order
required interconnected VoIP providers to offer 711 abbreviated dialing
``to ensure that TRS calls can be made from any telephone, anywhere in
the United States, and that such calls will be properly routed to the
appropriate relay center.''
2. In the Order and Public Notice Seeking Comment (October 2007
Order and Notice), released on October 9, 2007, published at 72 FR
61813, November 1, 2007, and 72 FR 61882, November 1, 2007, WC Docket
No. 04-36, CG Docket No. 03-123, WT Docket No. 96-198 and CC Docket No.
92-105, DA 07-4178, the Commission clarified the 711 abbreviated
dialing requirement adopted in the VoIP TRS Order and granted
interconnected VoIP providers a six-month waiver of the requirement to
route the inbound leg of a 711-dialed call to an ``appropriate TRS
provider,'' as defined by the Commission. The Commission also
determined that the geographic location identification challenges
associated with interconnected VoIP-originated 711 calls rendered
traditional TRS providers unable to consistently identify the
``appropriate'' PSAP to which to route such calls. On this basis, the
Commission found good cause to grant traditional TRS providers a six-
month waiver of the obligation set forth in Sec. 64.604(a)(4) of its
rules to automatically and immediately route the outbound leg of an
interconnected VoIP-originated emergency 711 call to an ``appropriate''
PSAP.
3. In the 2008 TRS 711 Waiver Order, released on April 4, 2008,
published at 73 FR 28057, May 15, 2008, WC Docket No. 04-36, CG Docket
No. 03-123, WT Docket No. 96-198 and CC Docket No. 92-105, DA 07-4178,
the Commission, via the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau,
granted interconnected VoIP providers an extension of time, until March
31, 2009, to route 711-dialed calls to an appropriate relay center, in
the context of 711-dialed calls in which the calling party is using a
non-geographically relevant telephone number or a nomadic
interconnected VoIP service. Traditional TRS providers also were
granted an extension of time, until March 31, 2009, to fulfill their
obligation to implement a system to automatically and immediately call
an appropriate PSAP when receiving an emergency 711-dialed call via an
interconnected VoIP service.
4. In the 2009 TRS 711 Waiver Order, released on April 1, 2009,
published at 74 FR 20892, May 6, 2009, WC Docket No. 04-36, CG Docket
No. 03-123, WT Docket No. 96-198 and CC Docket No. 92-105, DA 09-749,
the Commission, via the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau,
extended for 90 days (until June 29, 2009) the limited waiver granted
to traditional TRS providers in the 2008 TRS 711 Waiver Order. In
taking this action, the Commission granted, to the extent provided
therein, a petition for extension of waiver filed by AT&T and Sprint
from the requirement of Sec. 64.604(a)(4) with respect to traditional
TRS providers' duty to automatically and immediately route emergency
711 calls that originate on the network of an interconnected VoIP
provider. In view of the continued technical and operational challenges
presented by this requirement, the Commission found good cause to grant
traditional TRS providers an extension of the waiver of Sec.
64.604(a)(4) until June 29, 2009. The Commission allowed the waiver
relief previously granted to interconnected VoIP providers to expire,
however, noting that progress had been made toward resolving technical
difficulties previously associated with the routing of 711-dialed calls
by interconnected VoIP providers.
6. In the Notice accompanying the 2009 TRS 711 Waiver Order,
published at 74 FR 21364, May 7, 2009, WC Docket No. 04-36, CG Docket
No. 03-123, WT
[[Page 37625]]
Docket No. 96-198 and CC Docket No. 92-105, DA 09-749, the Commission,
via the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, sought comment on any
remaining compliance issues that currently prevent traditional TRS
providers from reliably identifying the appropriate PSAP to call when
receiving an emergency call via 711 and an interconnected VoIP service.
In addition, the Commission sought comment on: (1) The total number of
interconnected VoIP-originated 711 TRS calls that are processed
annually by interconnected VoIP and traditional TRS providers, and the
proportion of those calls that are of an emergency nature; (2) the
continuing need, from the consumer's perspective, to be able to dial
711 via TRS in an emergency, rather than dialing 911 directly; (3) any
impediments consumers have encountered in attempting to dial 911
directly; (4) the effectiveness of providers' outreach efforts in
educating consumers about the importance of dialing 911 directly in an
emergency when using a TTY and an interconnected VoIP service; and (5)
the continuing use of TTYs by individuals with hearing or speech
disabilities and, in particular, the use of TTYs with an interconnected
VoIP service.
7. On June 11, 2009, AT&T filed a petition seeking an indefinite
extension of the waiver of Sec. 64.604(a)(4), asserting that
traditional TRS providers ``still cannot determine the appropriate PSAP
to route a VoIP-originated 711 emergency call due to the
inaccessibility of registered location information.'' See
Implementation of Sections 255 and 251 (a)(2) of the Communications Act
of 1934, as Enacted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996: Access to
Telecommunications Service, Telecommunications Equipment and Customer
Premises Equipment by Persons with Disabilities; Telecommunications
Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Service for Individuals with
Hearing and Speech Disabilities, WC Docket No. 04-36, WT Docket No. 96-
198, CG Docket No. 03-123 & CC Docket No. 92-105, Petition for
Extension of Wavier at 2 (filed June 11, 2009).
8. In this document, the Commission, via the Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, extends until June 29, 2010, the current
limited waiver of Sec. 64.604(a)(4) of the Commission's rules, to the
extent it applies to traditional TRS providers' obligation to
automatically and immediately route the outbound leg of an
interconnected VoIP-originated emergency 711 call to an appropriate
PSAP. Notwithstanding this action, the Commission notes that if a
caller using a TTY connected to an interconnected VoIP service calls a
PSAP directly as a 911-dialed emergency call (as a text-to-text, or
TTY-to-TTY call), the 911-dialed call will be routed automatically and
immediately through the selective router over the wireline E911 network
to the PSAP that serves the caller's Registered Location, just as it
would be for a hearing caller via an interconnected VoIP service.
9. The record reflects that the remaining technical and operational
challenges of compliance with this requirement are formidable and that
a comprehensive resolution of these issues will require significant,
ongoing collaboration among a variety of industry stakeholders. At the
same time, the comments suggest that the increasing popularity and
availability of Internet-based forms of TRS have significantly reduced
the number of consumers with broadband Internet access who communicate
via a TTY and an interconnected VoIP service, rather than via an
Internet-based form of TRS. Moreover, the introduction of more forward-
looking solutions, such as the ``real-time text'' solution described in
the record, is likely to diminish further the incidence of TTY use with
an interconnected VoIP service. Taken together, these findings lead to
the conclusion that, while TTY use by interconnected VoIP consumers may
be on the decline, there remain deaf and hard of hearing consumers who
continue to rely on TTYs. Therefore, while the Commission finds good
cause to extend for an additional year the limited waiver previously
granted to traditional TRS providers, in light of the continuing
technical and operational challenges described in the record, the
Commission declines to extend the waiver indefinitely.
10. Finally, the Commission concludes that, during the period of
this waiver, any traditional TRS provider that cannot automatically and
immediately route to an appropriate PSAP the outbound leg of an
interconnected VoIP-originated emergency 711 call, as required by Sec.
64.604(a)(4) of the Commission's rules, must maintain a system for
doing so, to the extent feasible, that accomplishes the proper routing
of emergency 711 calls as quickly and efficiently as possible. This
waiver is, therefore, conditioned on continued compliance with that
requirement. Further, during this period, TRS providers and
interconnected VoIP providers must continue to undertake consumer
education and outreach designed to remind individuals with hearing or
speech disabilities to dial 911 directly (as a text-to-text, TTY-to-TTY
call) in an emergency. The Commission also expects TRS providers to
continue their collaboration with interconnected VoIP providers and
other industry stakeholders in order to resolve any remaining
compliance issues associated with the processing and routing of
interconnected VoIP-originated 711 emergency calls.
Ordering Clauses
Pursuant to Sections 1, 2, and 225 of the Communications Act of
1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, and 225, and Sections 0.141,
0.361, and 1.3 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR 0.141, 0.316 and 1.3,
document DA 09-1461 is adopted.
Section 64.604(a)(4) of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR
64.604(a)(4), to the extent that it requires traditional TRS providers
to implement a system to automatically and immediately call an
appropriate PSAP when receiving an emergency 711-dialed call via an
interconnected VoIP service, is waived until June 29, 2010.
Federal Communications Commission.
Suzanne M. Tetreault,
Acting Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. E9-18008 Filed 7-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
