Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program, 51735-51741 [2010-20615]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 162 / Monday, August 23, 2010 / Proposed Rules
much time as possible to process your
request.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Environmental Protection Agency,
1201 Constitution Ave., NW., Rm.
1117A, Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Requests to participate in the meeting,
identified by docket identification (ID)
number EPA–HQ–OPPT–2009–0112,
may be submitted to the technical
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
technical information contact: Paul
Campanella or John Schaeffer, Chemical
Control Division (7405M), Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460–0001; telephone number:
(202) 564–8091 or (202) 564–8173; email address: campanella.paul@epa.gov
or schaeffer.john@epa.gov.
For general information contact: The
TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill, 422
South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY
14620; telephone number: (202) 554–
1404; e-mail address: TSCAHotline@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
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A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
You may be potentially affected by
this action if you manufacture (defined
by statute to include import) or process
any of the chemical substances that are
listed in §799.5089(j) of the proposed
test rule’s regulatory text published in
the Federal Register of issue of February
25, 2010 (75 FR 8575). Any use of the
term ‘‘manufacture’’ in this document
will encompass ‘‘import,’’ unless
otherwise stated. In addition, once the
Agency issues a final rule, any person
who exports, or intends to export, any
of the chemical substances included in
the final rule will be subject to the
export notification requirements in
TSCA 12(b)(1) and 40 CFR part 707,
subpart D. Potentially affected entities
may include, but are not limited to:
• Manufacturers (defined by statute to
include importers) of one or more of the
29 subject chemical substances (NAICS
codes 325 and 324110), e.g., chemical
manufacturing and petroleum refineries.
• Processors of one or more of the 29
subject chemical substances (NAICS
codes 325 and 324110), e.g., chemical
manufacturing and petroleum refineries.
This listing is not intended to be
exhaustive, but rather provides a guide
for readers regarding entities likely to be
affected by this action. Other types of
entities not listed in this unit could also
be affected. The North American
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Industrial Classification System
(NAICS) codes have been provided to
assist you and others in determining
whether this action might apply to
certain entities. If you have any
questions regarding the applicability of
this action to a particular entity, consult
either technical person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Get Copies of this
Document and Other Related
Information?
EPA has established a docket for this
action under docket ID number EPA–
HQ–OPPT–2009–0112. All documents
in the docket are listed in the docket
index available at https://
www.regulations.gov. Although listed in
the index, some information is not
publicly available, e.g., Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
will be publicly available only in hard
copy. Publicly available docket
materials are available electronically at
https://www.regulations.gov, or, if only
available in hard copy, at the OPPT
Docket. The OPPT Docket is located in
the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC) at Rm.
3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room
hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The telephone number of
the EPA/DC Public Reading Room is
(202) 566–1744, and the telephone
number for the OPPT Docket is (202)
566–0280. Docket visitors are required
to show photographic identification,
pass through a metal detector, and sign
the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are
processed through an X-ray machine
and subject to search. Visitors will be
provided an EPA/DC badge that must be
visible at all times in the building and
returned upon departure.
II. Background
In the Federal Register issue of
February 25, 2010 (75 FR 8575) (FRL–
8805–8), EPA published a proposed rule
under TSCA section 4(a)(1)(B) to require
manufacturers, importers, and
processors of certain HPV chemical
substances to conduct testing to obtain
screening level data for health and
environmental effects and chemical fate.
EPA has preliminarily determined that:
Each of the 29 chemical substances
included in that proposed rule is
produced in substantial quantities and
that there is or may be substantial
human exposure to each of them; there
are insufficient data to reasonably
determine or predict the effects on
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health or the environment of the
manufacture, distribution in commerce,
processing, use, or disposal of the
chemical substances or of any
combination of these activities; and the
testing program proposed is necessary to
develop such data. Data developed
under the proposed rule, when
finalized, will provide critical
information about the environmental
fate and potential hazards associated
with the subject chemical substances.
When combined with information about
exposure and uses, these data will allow
the Agency and others to evaluate
potential health and environmental
risks and to take appropriate follow-up
actions.
In response to the proposed rule, EPA
received a request to present oral
comment from People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA). Written
comments provided during the
comment period for the proposed rule,
including those requesting an
opportunity for oral comment, are
available and can be viewed in the
docket under docket ID number EPA–
HQ–OPPT–2009–0112.
III. How Can I Request to Participate in
this Meeting?
You may submit a request to
participate in this meeting to the
technical person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not
submit any information in your request
that is considered CBI. Requests to
participate in the meeting, identified by
docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPPT–
2009–0112, must be received on or
before September 8, 2010.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Chemicals,
Hazardous substances, Laboratories,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Dated: August 17, 2010.
Stephen A. Owens,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010–20845 Filed 8–20–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 64
[CG Docket No. 10–51; FCC 10–88]
Structure and Practices of the Video
Relay Service Program
Federal Communications
Commission.
AGENCY:
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ACTION:
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 162 / Monday, August 23, 2010 / Proposed Rules
Proposed rule.
In this document, the
Commission seeks comment on ways to
amend its rules to detect and prevent
fraud and misuse in the provision of
Video Relay Service (VRS). Because the
VRS program has been subject to fraud
and abuse, the Commission proposes
these changes in order to deter the
billing of illegitimate minutes to the
Interstate Telecommunications Relay
Service (TRS) Fund (Fund).
DATES: For issues regarding Location of
VRS Call Centers, VRS Communications
Assistants (CAs) Working from Home
and Compensation, and Whistleblower
Protections for VRS CAs and Other
Provider Employees, comments are due
on or before September 7, 2010, and
reply comments due on or before
September 16, 2010. For all other issues,
comments are due on or before
September 13, 2010, reply comments
due on or before September 27, 2010.
Written comments on the proposed
information collection requirements,
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (PRA),
should be submitted on or before
October 22, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by [CG Docket No. 10–51 and/
or FCC 10–88], by any of the following
methods:
• Electronic Filers: Comments may be
filed electronically using the Internet by
accessing the Commission’s Electronic
Comment Filing System (ECFS) https://
fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/ or the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Filers should
follow the instructions provided on the
Web site for submitting comments. For
ECFS filers, in completing the
transmittal screen, filers should include
their full name, U.S. Postal Service
mailing address, and the applicable
docket or rulemaking number, which in
this instance is CG Docket No. 10–51.
• Parties may also submit an
electronic comment by Internet e-mail.
To get filing instructions, filers should
send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and
include the following words in the body
of the message, ‘‘get form < your e-mail
address>.’’ A sample form and
directions will be sent in response.
• Paper Filers: Parties who choose to
file by paper must file an original and
four copies of each filing. Filings can be
sent by hand or messenger delivery, by
commercial overnight courier, or by
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal
Service mail. All filings must be
addressed to the Commission’s
Secretary, Office of the Secretary,
Federal Communications Commission.
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• All hand-delivered or messengerdelivered paper filings for the
Commission’s Secretary must be
delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445
12th St., SW., Room TW–A325,
Washington, DC 20554. All hand
deliveries must be held together with
rubber bands or fasteners. Any
envelopes must be disposed of before
entering the building. The filing hours
are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Commercial overnight mail (other
than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail
and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300
East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights,
MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service firstclass, Express, and Priority mail must be
addressed to 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554.
In addition, parties must serve one
copy of each pleading with the
Commission’s duplicating contractor,
Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th
Street, SW., Room CY–B402,
Washington, DC 20554, or via e-mail to
fcc@bcpiweb.com.
In addition, document FCC 10–88
contains proposed information
collection requirements subject to the
PRA. It will be submitted to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review under section 3507 of the PRA.
OMB, the general public, and other
Federal agencies are invited to comment
on the proposed information collection
requirements contained in this
document. PRA comments should be
submitted to Cathy Williams, Federal
Communications Commission via email
at PRA@fcc.gov and
Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov, and to
Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of
Management and Budget, via fax at
(202) 395–5167, or via email to
Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gregory Hlibok, Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability
Rights Office at (202) 559–5158 (voice
and videophone), (202) 418–0431 (TTY),
or e-mail at Gregory.Hlibok@fcc.gov. For
additional information concerning the
PRA information collection
requirements contained in this
document, contact Cathy Williams at
(202) 418–2918, or via the Internet at
Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
summary of the Commission’s Structure
and Practices of the Video Relay Service
Program, Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (2010 VRS Reform NPRM),
document FCC 10–88, adopted on May
24, 2010, and released on May 27, 2010,
in CG Docket No. 10–51. In conjunction
with the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM in
FCC 10–88, the Commission also issued
a Declaratory Ruling and Order in CG
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Docket No. 10–51, published at 75 FR
39859, July 13, 2010 and 75 FR 39945,
July 13, 2010.
The full text of document FCC 10–88
and copies of any subsequently filed
documents in this matter will be
available for public inspection and
copying via ECFS, and during regular
business hours at the FCC Reference
Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th
Street, SW., Room CY–A257,
Washington, DC 20554. They may also
be purchased from the Commission’s
duplicating contractor, Best Copy and
Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street,
SW., Room CY–B402, Washington, DC
20554, telephone: (800) 378–3160, fax:
(202) 488–5563, or Internet: https://
www.bcpiweb.com. Document FCC 10–
88 can also be downloaded in Word or
Portable Document Format (PDF) at
https://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/
trs.html#orders. Pursuant to 47 CFR
1.415 and 1.419, interested parties may
file comments and reply comments on
or before the dates indicated in the
DATES section of this document.
Comments and reply comments must
include a short and concise summary of
the substantive discussion and
questions raised in the 2010 VRS
Reform NPRM. The Commission further
directs all interested parties to include
the name of the filing party and the date
of the filing on each page of their
comments and reply comments. The
Commission strongly encourages that
parties track the organization set forth in
this 2010 VRS Reform NPRM in order to
facilitate its internal review process.
Comments and reply comments must
otherwise comply with 47 CFR 1.48 and
all other applicable sections of the
Commission’s rules.
Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1200 et seq., this
matter shall be treated as a ‘‘permit-butdisclose’’ proceeding in accordance with
the Commission’s ex parte rules.
Persons making oral ex parte
presentations are reminded that
memoranda summarizing the
presentations must contain summaries
of the substance of the presentation and
not merely a listing of the subjects
discussed. More than a one or two
sentence description of the views and
arguments presented is generally
required. Other rules pertaining to oral
and written presentations are set forth
in 47 CFR 1.1206(b).
People with Disabilities: 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) or
(202) 418–0432 (TTY).
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 162 / Monday, August 23, 2010 / Proposed Rules
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Initial Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 Analysis
The Commission, as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
burdens, invites the general public and
OMB to comment on the proposed
information collection requirements
contained in this document, as required
by the PRA. Public and agency
comments are due October 22, 2010.
Comments should address: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Commission,
including whether the information shall
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
the Commission’s burden estimates; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information collected; and
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on the
respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
In addition, pursuant to the Small
Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002,
Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(4), the Commission seeks
specific comment on how it may
‘‘further reduce the information
collection burden for small business
concerns with fewer than 25
employees.’’
OMB Control Number: 3060–xxxx.
Title: Structure and Practices of the
Video Relay Service Program, CG
Docket No. 10–51.
Form No.: N/A.
Type of Review: New Collection.
Respondents: Business and other forprofit entities.
Number of Respondents: 13.
Number of Responses: 1,353.
Estimated Time per Response:
1 minute (.017 hours) to 40 hours.
Frequency of Response: One-time,
monthly, quarterly, annual, and on
occasion reporting requirements;
Recordkeeping requirement; Third party
disclosure requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to
obtain or retain benefits. The statutory
authority for these proposed
information collections is found at
section 225 of the Act, 47 U.S.C. 225.
The law was enacted on July 26, 1990,
as Title IV of the ADA, Public Law 101–
336, 104 Stat. 327, 366–69.
Total Annual Hourly Burden: 19,677
hours.
Total Annual Costs: $32,500.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality:
Much of the data that providers would
have to submit pursuant to (A)–(C) in
the Needs and Uses section, below,
would fall under 47 CFR
64.604(c)(5)(iii)(I), pursuant to which
the Fund administrator keeps all data
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obtained from contributors and TRS
providers confidential and does not
disclose such data in company-specific
form unless directed to do so by the
Commission.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No
impacts.
Needs and Uses: In the 2010 VRS
Reform NPRM, the Commission seeks
comment on ways to amend its rules to
detect and prevent fraud and misuse in
the provision of VRS. The 2010 VRS
Reform NPRM contains potential
information collection requirements
with respect to the following six of its
proposals, all of which could further the
aims of the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM.
Though the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM
emphasizes VRS, many of the proposals
would also apply to other or all forms
of TRS.
(A) Whether TRS providers should be
required to automatically capture the
conversation time, to the nearest
second, for each call submitted for
payment from the Fund.
(B) Whether the TRS rules should be
amended to specifically require that
relay providers submit specified call
data information in order to be eligible
for compensation from the Fund; and
whether they should be amended to
require that the data be submitted
electronically and in a standardized
format, and, if so, what the standardized
format should be.
(C) Whether the Commission should
require VRS providers eligible for
compensation from the Fund that
submit minutes for payment to file with
the Commission and Fund
administration on a quarterly basis a
statement detailing the name and
address of each call center the provider
owns or controls (this would include
subcontractors operating call centers
and entities operating call centers for a
subcontractor), the number of CAs and
CA managers at the call center, and the
name and contact information for the
managers of the call center; and whether
the Commission should require VRS
providers to file an amendment to their
most recent quarterly filing each time
they open a new call center, close a call
center, or the ownership or management
of a call center changes, or changes to
the list of providers whose calls are
processed through the call center within
30 days of such an event.
(D) Whether all VRS providers should
be required to make available their cost
and demand data to the public.
(E) Whether Internet-based TRS
providers should be required to retain
their call detail records, other records
that support their claims for payment
from the Fund, and those records used
to substantiate the costs and expense
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51737
data submitted in the annual relay
service data request form, for five years.
(F) Whether the CEO, CFO, or other
senior executive of a relay service
provider should be required to certify,
under penalty of perjury, that: (1)
Minutes submitted to the Fund
administrator for compensation were
handled in compliance with 47 U.S.C.
225 and the Commission’s rules and
orders, and are not the result of
impermissible financial incentives, or
payments or kickbacks, to generate calls,
and (2) cost and demand data submitted
to the Fund administrator related to the
determination of compensation rates or
methodologies are true and correct.
Synopsis
In the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM, the
Commission seeks comment on a range
of issues affecting the provision of VRS
and ways to detect and prevent fraud
and misuse. The Commission’s goal is to
ensure that VRS continues to thrive as
a highly functionally equivalent form of
TRS, that it remains readily available to
consumers (deaf and hearing alike), and
that it continues to offer consumers high
quality service. To reach this goal,
however, the Commission must also
ensure the integrity of the program. To
that end, the Commission must make
sure that its service and compensation
rules do not result in or perpetuate
unjustifiable payments to providers at
American ratepayers’ expense, the
provision and billing of illegitimate
calls, and the provision of service by
unqualified providers or that is not in
compliance with the service rules.
Location of VRS Call Centers
1. The Commission recognizes that
some providers have established VRS
call centers that are located outside the
United States where ASL is generally
not the primary form of sign language.
The Commission is also concerned that
VRS call centers outside the United
States may lack appropriate supervision
and otherwise not operate in
compliance with the Commission’s
rules, and that these call centers may be
(or have been) a source of fraud and or
otherwise may not be handling
legitimate VRS calls. The Commission
therefore tentatively concludes that it
will amend its rules to require that all
VRS call centers be located in the
United States, and seeks comment on
this tentative conclusion.
VRS CAs Working From Home and
Compensation
2. The Commission recognizes that
some VRS CAs work from home, and
that there are benefits that come with
the flexibility of these arrangements.
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This practice, however, raises concerns
about whether the confidentiality of
calls can be guaranteed and whether
VRS CAs working from home can meet
other mandatory minimum standards
applicable to the provision of relay,
such as the ability to handle emergency
calls in accordance with the
Commission’s rules. The Commission
seeks comment on how it can balance
the goals of allowing CAs the
convenience and flexibility that comes
with working from home with the need
to ensure the confidentiality of calls and
that the Commission’s mandatory
minimum standards are met. The
Commission also seeks comment on
whether, if CAs may work from home,
providers should be required to treat the
homes of CAs who work from home as
‘‘call centers’’ for purposes of TRS
administration.
3. The Commission also understands
that some CAs have in the past been
paid bonuses for working through
scheduled breaks or working overtime
in order to relay more minutes which
may have resulted in schemes by CAs to
initiate or participate in fraudulent VRS
calls in order to receive such bonuses
while still receiving necessary breaks.
While the Commission believes the vast
majority of CAs do not engage in this
type of minute-pumping, the
Commission seeks comment on whether
such bonus schemes or any other type
of compensation arrangement exist; and,
if so, whether they incent CAs to
arrange or cause to be arranged calls that
would not otherwise be made, and what
types of safeguards can be adopted to
deter and prevent use of them.
Procedures for the Suspension of
Payment
4. The TRS rules that authorize the
Fund administrator to suspend or delay
payments to a TRS provider if the
provider fails to provide adequate
verification of payment do not set forth
in detail procedures for the suspension
of payment and the resolution of
whether certain minutes are legitimate
and should be paid. The Commission
therefore seeks comment on the
adoption of new rules addressing the
procedures for the suspension or
withholding of payments to providers in
circumstances where the Fund
administrator reasonably believes that
the minutes may not be legitimate or
otherwise were not submitted in
compliance with the TRS rules.
5. In ensuring that the providers must
be afforded due process, the
Commission tentatively concludes that
the rules must, at a minimum: (1) Give
timely notice to the providers of the
minutes for which payment is being
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withheld, as well as the reason(s) for the
withholding; (2) afford providers an
opportunity to show why they believe
the withheld minutes are in fact
compensable; and (3) require that
providers be given, in a timely fashion,
a final determination of whether
payment will be made for the disputed
minutes with a supporting explanation.
The Commission also tentatively
concludes that the rules should place
the burden on the provider to show that
the minutes in question are
compensable and were handled in
accordance with the Commission’s
rules. The Commission seeks comment
on these tentative conclusions, and on
the nature of the showing providers
should be required to make to establish
that minutes submitted for payment are
legitimate. Further, the Commission
seeks comment on whether it should
adopt new rules or modify existing rules
to provide the TRS Fund administrator
with the tools necessary to execute its
administrative and auditing
responsibilities.
VRS call placed on hold by a business
would not be considered ‘‘idle,’’ even if
the hold time exceeds two minutes.
8. Calls Involving Remote Training.
The Commission recognizes that a
significant number of VRS minutes
submitted for compensation in recent
months are attributable to remote
training. To the extent that VRS calls
that enable a person to participate in
remote training using a VRS CA are, in
fact, being used as a substitute for inperson interpreting or Video Remote
Interpreting (VRI) services, the
Commission has already made clear that
this would be an improper use of VRS.
The Commission seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that, despite its
prior finding that calls made for the
purpose of generating compensable
minutes as a source of provider revenue
are not compensable from the Fund, a
rule specifically barring compensation
for remote training calls initiated or
promoted by or on behalf of a provider
would serve as an additional deterrent
against fraud and misuse of the Fund.
Specific Call Practices
6. International VRS Calls. In the VRS
Declaratory Ruling, published at 75 FR
25255, May 7, 2010, the Bureau
confirmed that VRS calls that both
originate and terminate outside the
United States are not compensable. The
Commission seeks comment on ways to
address fraud and misuse associated
with international VRS calls without
undermining the use of VRS to make
legitimate international calls. The
Commission also seeks comment on the
role of ten-digit numbering, registered
locations, or other potential solutions
(e.g., particular software) to help ensure
that VRS calls that terminate overseas
are, in fact, legitimate TRS calls.
7. VRS Calls in Which the Caller’s
Face Does Not Appear on the Screen;
Use of Privacy Screens; Idle Calls. Some
VRS providers and VRS equipment
permit a VRS caller to use a ‘‘privacy
screen’’ during a call that prevents the
VRS CA from viewing the caller.
Although there may be legitimate
reasons for a VRS CA or a caller to
briefly use a privacy screen, in some
instances it may be used to facilitate a
call solely intended to generate minutes.
The Commission therefore seeks
comment on how it might amend the
TRS rules to address the use and misuse
of privacy screens. The Commission
also specifically seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that if a caller is
away from the call or unresponsive for
longer than two minutes, the CA should
disconnect the call, and on what the
appropriate time period a call may be
idle is before being disconnected. A
Detecting and Stopping the Billing of
Illegitimate Calls
9. Automated Call Data Collection.
The Commission seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that the TRS rules
should be modified to make clear that
providers must automatically capture
the conversation time, to the nearest
second, for each call submitted for
payment from the Fund, which the
Commission expects would reduce
opportunities for fraud and the
erroneous submission of minutes for
payment.
10. Data Filed with the Fund
Administrator to Support Payment
Claims. In 2008, the Fund Administrator
instructed VRS providers that, in
addition to the speed of answer
compliance data they were already
submitting, monthly minutes of use
submitted for payment must be
supported by the following call data
records: (1) The call record ID sequence;
(2) Communications Assistant ID;
(3) session start and end times;
(4) conversation start and end times;
(5) incoming telephone number or IP
address; (6) outbound telephone number
or IP address; (7) total conversation
minutes; and (8) total session minutes.,
The Commission seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that the TRS rules
should be amended to specifically
require the filing of this call data
information as a functional TRS
mandatory minimum standard that
providers must meet to be eligible for
compensation from the Fund, because
review of this information is essential to
detecting and deterring fraud and the
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billing of illegitimate calls. The
Commission also seeks comment on any
other call record information it should
require providers to submit to the Fund
administrator to support their claims for
payment, and on its tentative
conclusion that the TRS rules should be
amended to require that all this data be
submitted electronically and in a
standardized format.
11. Requiring Providers to Submit
Information About New and Existing
Call Centers. The Commission seeks
comment on its tentative conclusions
that: (1) It should amend the TRS
mandatory minimum standards to
require VRS providers eligible for
compensation from the Fund that
submit minutes for payment to file with
the Commission and Fund administrator
on a quarterly basis a statement
detailing the name and address of each
call center the provider owns or
controls, the number of CAs and CA
managers at the call center, and the
name and contact information for the
managers of the call center; and (2) that
it will require VRS providers to file an
amendment to their most recent
quarterly filing each time they open a
new call center, close a call center, or
the ownership or management of a call
center changes, or changes to the list of
providers whose calls are processed
through the call center. The
Commission further proposes that such
amendments be required to be filed
within thirty days of such an event. This
information will enable the Commission
and Fund administrator to better
oversee compliance with Commission
rules to ensure the compensability of
submitted minutes as well as to ensure
that sub-contractors are providing the
quality of service the Commission’s
rules require.
12. Requiring Service to be Offered in
the Name of the Provider Seeking
Compensation from the Fund; Revenue
Sharing Schemes. The Commission’s
rules permit providers eligible for
compensation from the Fund to
subcontract with other entities for actual
provision of service. Although the
eligible provider is responsible for
ensuring that such calls billed to the
Fund are legitimate, in some cases it is
possible that the eligible provider
exercises very little oversight over the
call handling operations. In other cases,
arrangements have been made in order
to facilitate fraud. One VRS provider
proposes that the Commission adopt a
rule stating that providers cannot be
compensated from the Fund unless the
provider seeking compensation ‘‘clearly
identified itself to the calling parties at
the outset of the calls as the TRS
provider for those calls.’’ Another VRS
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provider proposes that the Commission
altogether prohibit uncertified entities
from billing the TRS Fund through
certified providers. The Commission
seeks comment on these proposals and
on other ways it can ensure that the
entities that actually relay calls are
accountable for compliance with the
Commission’s rules.
13. Whistleblower Protections for VRS
CAs and Other Provider Employees. The
Commission recognizes that CAs and
other employees of providers are often
in the best position to detect possible
fraud and misconduct by the provider,
but that employees are often reluctant to
report possible wrongdoing because
they fear they may lose their job or be
subject to other forms of retaliation.
Given recent evidence of fraud and the
billing of illegitimate VRS minutes, the
Commission seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that it should adopt
a specific whistleblower protection rule
for the employees and subcontractors of
TRS providers, and on what the scope
and contents of such a rule should be.
14. Transparency and the Disclosure
of Provider Financial and Call Data.
Currently, the Commission addresses
provider cost and demand data only in
the aggregate or in some other way that
does not reveal the individual data of a
particular provider. The Commission
seeks comment on whether it should
require that all VRS provider cost and
demand data be made available to the
public and, if so, how such a
requirement should be implemented.
The Commission further seeks comment
on how it might balance the legitimate
need for transparency of provider costs
with any legitimate interest in keeping
that information (or some portion of it)
confidential. The Commission requests
that commenters favoring disclosure
specifically address the scope of such
requirement, how the data should be
made public, and any exceptions or
limits to a rule requiring disclosure of
provider specific cost and demand data.
15. Provider Audits. The Commission
is authorized to suspend payment to
providers who do not submit to audits.
The Commission seeks comment on
whether it should amend the TRS
mandatory minimum standards to
include more specific and stringent
auditing rules in order to better
safeguard the integrity of the Fund.
Commenters favoring such rules should
address the scope and frequency of such
audits.
16. Record Retention. The
Commission recognizes that to detect
and deter fraud or other call or billing
irregularities it must have access to the
underlying call data. The Commission
seeks comment on its tentative
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51739
conclusion that it should amend the
TRS rules to require Internet-based TRS
providers to retain their call detail
records, other records that support their
claims for payment from the Fund, and
those records used to substantiate the
costs and expense data submitted in the
annual relay service data request form,
for five years.
17. Provider Certification Under
Penalty of Perjury. In the Order portion
of document FCC 10–88, the
Commission adopts an interim rule
requiring the CEO, CFO, or other senior
executive of a relay service provider to
certify, under penalty of perjury, that:
(1) Minutes submitted to the Fund
administrator for compensation were
handled in compliance with section 225
of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, and the Commission’s rules
and orders, and are not the result of
impermissible financial incentives, or
payments or kickbacks, to generate calls,
and (2) cost and demand data submitted
to the Fund administrator related to the
determination of compensation rates or
methodologies are true and correct. See
75 FR 39859, July 13, 2010. The
Commission seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that it should adopt
these rules permanently.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Certification
18. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of
1980, as amended (RFA), 5 U.S.C. 603,
requires that an initial regulatory
flexibility analysis be prepared for
notice-and-comment rulemaking
proceedings, unless the agency certifies
that ‘‘the rule will not, if promulgated,
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.’’
5 U.S.C. 605(1). The RFA generally
defines the term ‘‘small entity’’ as having
the same meaning as the terms ‘‘small
business,’’ ‘‘small organization,’’ and
‘‘small governmental jurisdiction.’’ 5
U.S.C. 601(6). In addition, the term
‘‘small business’’ has the same meaning
as the term ‘‘small business concern’’
under the Small Business Act. A ‘‘small
business concern’’ is one that: (1) Is
independently owned and operated; (2)
is not dominant in its field of operation;
and (3) satisfies any additional criteria
established by the Small Business
Administration (SBA).
19. In the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM,
the Commission reaches tentative
conclusions on a range of issues
affecting the provision of VRS and ways
to detect and prevent fraud and misuse
in the VRS program. Specifically, the
Commission tentatively concludes that:
All VRS call centers must be located in
the United States; VRS CAs must work
in a centralized call center where other
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personnel are present, including other
CAs and supervisors; the Commission
should adopt new rules, affording
providers due process, addressing
procedures for the suspension or
withholding of payments to providers in
circumstances where the Fund
Administrator reasonably believes that
the minutes may not be legitimate or
otherwise were not submitted in
compliance with the TRS rules, but
placing the burden on the provider to
show that the minutes in question are
compensable and were handled in
accordance with the TRS rules; VRS
calls that originate or terminate overseas
shall not be compensable from the
Fund; a CA should disconnect a VRS
call in which the caller’s face does not
appear on the screen (including when
the caller is using a ‘‘privacy screen’’), or
where the call is ‘‘idle,’’ for more than
two minutes; a rule specifically barring
compensation for remote training calls
initiated or promoted by or on behalf of
a provider would serve as an additional
deterrent against fraud and misuse of
the Fund; providers must use
automated, rather than manual, methods
to capture a TRS call’s conversation
time, to the nearest second, for each call
submitted for payment from the Fund;
the TRS rules should specifically
require that providers file certain call
data information in order to eligible for
compensation from the Fund, and
providers must file it electronically and
in a standardized format; providers
must file with the Commission and
Fund administrator on a quarterly basis
a statement detailing the name and
address of each call center the provider
owns or controls (including subcontract
arrangements), as well as various
information concerning the management
of such call centers; the Commission
should adopt a permanent rule requiring
the CEO, CFO, or other senior executive
of a provider submitting data to the
Fund administrator to make various
certifications under penalty of perjury;
the Commission should adopt specific
whistleblower protection rules for the
employees and subcontractors of TRS
providers; and Internet-based TRS
providers must retain their call detail
records, and other records to support
their claims for payment from the Fund,
for five years.
20. The 2010 VRS Reform NPRM also
seeks comment on whether the
Commission should prohibit ‘‘whitelabel’’ Internet-based TRS services—
where non-certified providers offer
service and bill the Fund through
certified providers—and on other ways
that the Commission can ensure that the
entities that actually relay calls are
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accountable for compliance with the
Commission’s rules. In addition, it seeks
comment on whether—and if so, how—
VRS provider cost and demand data
should be made available to the public,
and whether the Commission should
adopt more specific and stringent
auditing rules in order to better
safeguard the integrity of the Fund.
21. With regard to whether a
substantial number of small entities may
be affected by the requirements
proposed in the 2010 VRS Reform
NPRM, the Commission notes that, of
the fourteen providers affected by the
2010 VRS Reform NPRM, no more than
five meet the definition of a small
entity. The SBA has developed a small
business size standard for Wired
Telecommunications Carriers, which
consists of all such firms having 1,500
or fewer employees. 13 CFR 121.201,
NAICS code 517110. Currently, fourteen
providers receive compensation from
the Interstate TRS Fund for providing
any form of TRS. Because no more than
five of the providers that would be
affected by the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM,
if adopted, are deemed to be small
entities under the SBA’s small business
size standard, the Commission
concludes that the number of small
entities potentially affected by our
proposed rules is not substantial.
Moreover, given that all providers
potentially affected by the proposed
rules, including those deemed to be
small entities under the SBA’s standard,
would be entitled to receive prompt
reimbursement for their reasonable costs
of compliance, the Commission
concludes that the 2010 VRS Reform
NPRM, if adopted, will not have a
significant economic impact on these
small entities.
22. Therefore, the Commission
certifies that the proposals in the 2010
VRS Reform NPRM, if adopted, will not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.
23. The Commission will send a copy
of the 2010 VRS NPRM, including a
copy of this Initial Regulatory
Flexibility Certification, to the Chief
Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA.
Ordering Clauses
Pursuant to sections 1, 4(i) and (o),
225, 303(r), 403, 624(g), and 706 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, 47 U.S.C. 151, 154(i) and (o),
225, 303(r), 403, 554(g), and 606,
document FCC 10–88 is adopted.
The Commission’s Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Reference
Information Center, shall send a copy of
document FCC 10–88, including the
Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Certification, to the Chief Counsel for
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Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 64
Claims, Individuals with disabilities,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Telecommunications.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
Proposed Rules
For the reasons discussed in the
preamble, the Federal Communications
Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR
part 64 as follows:
PART 64—MISCELLANEOUS RULES
RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS
1. The authority citation for part 64
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 254(k); secs.
403(b)(2)(B), (c), Pub. L. 104–104, 110 Stat.
56. Interpret or apply 47 U.S.C. 201, 218, 222,
225, 226, 228, and 254(k) unless otherwise
noted.
2. Section 64.604 is amended by
adding paragraphs (a)(3)(ix), (a)(6),
(a)(7), and (b)(4)(iii), and by revising
paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(E), to read as
follows:
§ 64.604
Mandatory minimum standards.
*
*
*
*
*
(a) * * *
(3) * * *
(ix) Relay calls that enable a person
with hearing or speech disability to
participate in a remote training program,
made available to the public or to an
entity’s employees, do not fall within
the scope of this subpart.
*
*
*
*
*
(6) In addition to those standards set
forth above, Internet-based TRS
providers shall be subject to the
following standards:
(i) Automated call data collection. For
each Internet-based TRS call, providers
must automatically record session and
conversation time to the nearest second.
(ii) Revenue sharing agreements. The
administrator shall not compensate for
minutes resulting from an Internetbased TRS call unless the entity seeking
compensation from the Fund for such
minutes clearly identified itself to the
calling parties at the beginning of the
call as the TRS provider for the call.
(iii) Whistleblower protections.
Providers shall permit any employee,
agent, or contractor to disclose to a
designated manager any known or
suspected violations of FCC rules, or
any other activity that the reporting
person believes to be unlawful,
wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive, or that
otherwise could result in the improper
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billing of minutes to the Interstate TRS
Fund. Providers must make available at
least one means by which such
disclosure may be made anonymously.
Providers must promptly investigate any
report of wrongdoing and, when
warranted, take appropriate corrective
action. Providers may not discipline any
employee, agent, or contractor solely for
reporting under this provision.
Providers shall also inform all
employees, agents, and contractors that
they may directly contact the
Commission’s Office of Inspector
General to report wrongdoing.
(iv) Record retention. Providers shall
retain their call detail records for five
years from the date of service, and shall
make such records available to the
Commission or administrator upon
request.
(7) In addition to those standards set
forth above, Video Relay Service
providers shall be subject to the
following standards:
(i) Idle time or no face on screen. If
either party to a VRS call is away from
the call, or otherwise unavailable or
unresponsive, for more than two
minutes the CA may disconnect the call,
except when the call has been placed on
hold by a business. If at any time during
a VRS call a VRS CA is confronted with
only a blank screen (e.g., a privacy
screen), or a screen that does not display
the face of the video caller, the CA may
disconnect the call if the video caller’s
face does not reappear within two
minutes.
(ii) Call center information. VRS
providers shall file quarterly reports
with the Commission and the
administrator by March 31, June 30,
September 20, and December 31 each
year stating the name and address of
each call center the provider owns or
controls (including call centers owned
or operated by subcontractors or entities
operating calls centers for a
subcontractor), the number of CAs and
CA managers at each call center, and the
name and contact information for the
key managers at each call center. VRS
providers shall file an amendment to
their most recent quarterly filing within
30 days of opening a call center, closing
a call center, or changing the ownership
or management of a call center.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) * * *
(4) * * *
(iii) Location of call centers. VRS call
centers must be located in the United
States.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) * * *
(5) * * *
(iii) * * *
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(E) Payments to TRS providers. TRS
Fund payments shall be distributed to
TRS providers based on formulas
approved or modified by the
Commission. The administrator shall
file schedules of payment formulas with
the Commission. Such formulas shall be
designed to compensate TRS providers
for reasonable costs of providing
interstate TRS, and shall be subject to
Commission approval. Such formulas
shall be based on total monthly
interstate TRS minutes of use. TRS
minutes of use for purposes of interstate
cost recovery under the TRS Fund are
defined as the minutes of use for
completed interstate TRS calls placed
through the TRS center beginning after
call set-up and concluding after the last
message call unit. In addition to the data
required under paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C) of
this section, all TRS providers,
including providers who are not
interexchange carriers, local exchange
carriers, or certified state relay
providers, must submit reports of
interstate TRS minutes of use to the
administrator in order to receive
payments. These reports shall include
the call record ID sequence, CA ID,
session start and end times,
conversation start and end times,
incoming telephone number or IP
address for Internet-based TRS service
not subject to the numbering
requirements under § 64.611, outbound
telephone number or IP address for
Internet-based TRS service not subject
to the numbering requirements under
§ 64.611, total conversation minutes,
and total session minutes. In addition,
VRS and IP Relay providers shall
include in their reports speed of answer
compliance data. The administrator
shall establish procedures to verify
payment claims, and may suspend or
delay payments to a TRS provider if the
TRS provider fails to provide adequate
verification of payment upon reasonable
request, or if directed by the
Commission to do so. The administrator
shall make payments only to eligible
TRS providers operating pursuant to the
mandatory minimum standards as
required in this section, and after
disbursements to the administrator for
reasonable expenses incurred by it in
connection with TRS Fund
administration. TRS providers receiving
payments shall file a form prescribed by
the administrator. The administrator
shall fashion a form that is consistent
with parts 32 and 36 of this chapter
procedures reasonably tailored to meet
the needs of TRS providers. The
Commission shall have authority to
audit providers and have access to all
data, including carrier specific data,
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51741
collected by the Fund administrator.
The Fund administrator shall have
authority to audit TRS providers
reporting data to the administrator. The
formulas should appropriately
compensate interstate providers for the
provision of VRS, whether intrastate or
interstate.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2010–20615 Filed 8–20–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 679
Docket No. 0906041011–91012–01
RIN 0648–AX91
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Halibut and
Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota
Program
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS proposes regulations to
modify the Individual Fishing Quota
(IFQ) Program for the Fixed-Gear
Commercial Fisheries for Pacific Halibut
and Sablefish in waters in and off
Alaska (IFQ Program) by revoking quota
share (QS) that have been inactive since
they were originally issued in 1995.
Inactive QS are those held by persons
that have never harvested their IFQ and
have never transferred QS or IFQ into or
out of their accounts.
This action is necessary to achieve the
catch limit from the halibut fisheries
and optimum yield from the sablefish
fisheries in Alaska in accordance with
National Standard 1 of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act and results in more
efficient use of these species as
supported by National Standard 5. The
intended effect is to promote the
management provisions in the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area, the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Gulf of Alaska, and the Northern Pacific
Halibut Act of 1982.
DATES: Comments must be received by
5 p.m., local time, on September 22,
2010.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue
Salveson, Assistant Regional
SUMMARY:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 162 (Monday, August 23, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 51735-51741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20615]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 64
[CG Docket No. 10-51; FCC 10-88]
Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
[[Page 51736]]
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission seeks comment on ways to
amend its rules to detect and prevent fraud and misuse in the provision
of Video Relay Service (VRS). Because the VRS program has been subject
to fraud and abuse, the Commission proposes these changes in order to
deter the billing of illegitimate minutes to the Interstate
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund (Fund).
DATES: For issues regarding Location of VRS Call Centers, VRS
Communications Assistants (CAs) Working from Home and Compensation, and
Whistleblower Protections for VRS CAs and Other Provider Employees,
comments are due on or before September 7, 2010, and reply comments due
on or before September 16, 2010. For all other issues, comments are due
on or before September 13, 2010, reply comments due on or before
September 27, 2010. Written comments on the proposed information
collection requirements, subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, Public Law 104-13 (PRA), should be submitted on or before October
22, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by [CG Docket No. 10-51
and/or FCC 10-88], by any of the following methods:
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically
using the Internet by accessing the Commission's Electronic Comment
Filing System (ECFS) https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/ or the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow
the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting comments. For
ECFS filers, in completing the transmittal screen, filers should
include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the
applicable docket or rulemaking number, which in this instance is CG
Docket No. 10-51.
Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet
e-mail. To get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to
ecfs@fcc.gov, and include the following words in the body of the
message, ``get form < your e-mail address>.'' A sample form and
directions will be sent in response.
Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must
file an original and four copies of each filing. Filings can be sent by
hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by
first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be
addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary,
Federal Communications Commission.
All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings
for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at
445 12th St., SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand
deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any
envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. The filing
hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class,
Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20554.
In addition, parties must serve one copy of each pleading with the
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445
12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, or via e-mail to
fcc@bcpiweb.com.
In addition, document FCC 10-88 contains proposed information
collection requirements subject to the PRA. It will be submitted to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507 of
the PRA. OMB, the general public, and other Federal agencies are
invited to comment on the proposed information collection requirements
contained in this document. PRA comments should be submitted to Cathy
Williams, Federal Communications Commission via email at PRA@fcc.gov
and Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov, and to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of
Management and Budget, via fax at (202) 395-5167, or via email to
Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Hlibok, Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office at (202) 559-5158
(voice and videophone), (202) 418-0431 (TTY), or e-mail at
Gregory.Hlibok@fcc.gov. For additional information concerning the PRA
information collection requirements contained in this document, contact
Cathy Williams at (202) 418-2918, or via the Internet at
Cathy.Williams@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's
Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program, Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (2010 VRS Reform NPRM), document FCC 10-88, adopted
on May 24, 2010, and released on May 27, 2010, in CG Docket No. 10-51.
In conjunction with the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM in FCC 10-88, the
Commission also issued a Declaratory Ruling and Order in CG Docket No.
10-51, published at 75 FR 39859, July 13, 2010 and 75 FR 39945, July
13, 2010.
The full text of document FCC 10-88 and copies of any subsequently
filed documents in this matter will be available for public inspection
and copying via ECFS, and during regular business hours at the FCC
Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room
CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc.,
Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554,
telephone: (800) 378-3160, fax: (202) 488-5563, or Internet: https://www.bcpiweb.com. Document FCC 10-88 can also be downloaded in Word or
Portable Document Format (PDF) at https://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html#orders. Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.415 and 1.419, interested parties
may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates indicated
in the DATES section of this document. Comments and reply comments must
include a short and concise summary of the substantive discussion and
questions raised in the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM. The Commission further
directs all interested parties to include the name of the filing party
and the date of the filing on each page of their comments and reply
comments. The Commission strongly encourages that parties track the
organization set forth in this 2010 VRS Reform NPRM in order to
facilitate its internal review process. Comments and reply comments
must otherwise comply with 47 CFR 1.48 and all other applicable
sections of the Commission's rules.
Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1200 et seq., this matter shall be treated as
a ``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the
Commission's ex parte rules. Persons making oral ex parte presentations
are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentations must contain
summaries of the substance of the presentation and not merely a listing
of the subjects discussed. More than a one or two sentence description
of the views and arguments presented is generally required. Other rules
pertaining to oral and written presentations are set forth in 47 CFR
1.1206(b).
People with Disabilities: 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) or
(202) 418-0432 (TTY).
[[Page 51737]]
Initial Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Analysis
The Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork burdens, invites the general public and OMB to comment on the
proposed information collection requirements contained in this
document, as required by the PRA. Public and agency comments are due
October 22, 2010. Comments should address: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Commission, including whether the information
shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission's
burden estimates; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology. In addition, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork
Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the
Commission seeks specific comment on how it may ``further reduce the
information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer
than 25 employees.''
OMB Control Number: 3060-xxxx.
Title: Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program,
CG Docket No. 10-51.
Form No.: N/A.
Type of Review: New Collection.
Respondents: Business and other for-profit entities.
Number of Respondents: 13.
Number of Responses: 1,353.
Estimated Time per Response: 1 minute (.017 hours) to 40 hours.
Frequency of Response: One-time, monthly, quarterly, annual, and on
occasion reporting requirements; Recordkeeping requirement; Third party
disclosure requirement.
Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The
statutory authority for these proposed information collections is found
at section 225 of the Act, 47 U.S.C. 225. The law was enacted on July
26, 1990, as Title IV of the ADA, Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. 327,
366-69.
Total Annual Hourly Burden: 19,677 hours.
Total Annual Costs: $32,500.
Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: Much of the data that
providers would have to submit pursuant to (A)-(C) in the Needs and
Uses section, below, would fall under 47 CFR 64.604(c)(5)(iii)(I),
pursuant to which the Fund administrator keeps all data obtained from
contributors and TRS providers confidential and does not disclose such
data in company-specific form unless directed to do so by the
Commission.
Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impacts.
Needs and Uses: In the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM, the Commission seeks
comment on ways to amend its rules to detect and prevent fraud and
misuse in the provision of VRS. The 2010 VRS Reform NPRM contains
potential information collection requirements with respect to the
following six of its proposals, all of which could further the aims of
the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM. Though the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM emphasizes
VRS, many of the proposals would also apply to other or all forms of
TRS.
(A) Whether TRS providers should be required to automatically
capture the conversation time, to the nearest second, for each call
submitted for payment from the Fund.
(B) Whether the TRS rules should be amended to specifically require
that relay providers submit specified call data information in order to
be eligible for compensation from the Fund; and whether they should be
amended to require that the data be submitted electronically and in a
standardized format, and, if so, what the standardized format should
be.
(C) Whether the Commission should require VRS providers eligible
for compensation from the Fund that submit minutes for payment to file
with the Commission and Fund administration on a quarterly basis a
statement detailing the name and address of each call center the
provider owns or controls (this would include subcontractors operating
call centers and entities operating call centers for a subcontractor),
the number of CAs and CA managers at the call center, and the name and
contact information for the managers of the call center; and whether
the Commission should require VRS providers to file an amendment to
their most recent quarterly filing each time they open a new call
center, close a call center, or the ownership or management of a call
center changes, or changes to the list of providers whose calls are
processed through the call center within 30 days of such an event.
(D) Whether all VRS providers should be required to make available
their cost and demand data to the public.
(E) Whether Internet-based TRS providers should be required to
retain their call detail records, other records that support their
claims for payment from the Fund, and those records used to
substantiate the costs and expense data submitted in the annual relay
service data request form, for five years.
(F) Whether the CEO, CFO, or other senior executive of a relay
service provider should be required to certify, under penalty of
perjury, that: (1) Minutes submitted to the Fund administrator for
compensation were handled in compliance with 47 U.S.C. 225 and the
Commission's rules and orders, and are not the result of impermissible
financial incentives, or payments or kickbacks, to generate calls, and
(2) cost and demand data submitted to the Fund administrator related to
the determination of compensation rates or methodologies are true and
correct.
Synopsis
In the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM, the Commission seeks comment on a
range of issues affecting the provision of VRS and ways to detect and
prevent fraud and misuse. The Commission's goal is to ensure that VRS
continues to thrive as a highly functionally equivalent form of TRS,
that it remains readily available to consumers (deaf and hearing
alike), and that it continues to offer consumers high quality service.
To reach this goal, however, the Commission must also ensure the
integrity of the program. To that end, the Commission must make sure
that its service and compensation rules do not result in or perpetuate
unjustifiable payments to providers at American ratepayers' expense,
the provision and billing of illegitimate calls, and the provision of
service by unqualified providers or that is not in compliance with the
service rules.
Location of VRS Call Centers
1. The Commission recognizes that some providers have established
VRS call centers that are located outside the United States where ASL
is generally not the primary form of sign language. The Commission is
also concerned that VRS call centers outside the United States may lack
appropriate supervision and otherwise not operate in compliance with
the Commission's rules, and that these call centers may be (or have
been) a source of fraud and or otherwise may not be handling legitimate
VRS calls. The Commission therefore tentatively concludes that it will
amend its rules to require that all VRS call centers be located in the
United States, and seeks comment on this tentative conclusion.
VRS CAs Working From Home and Compensation
2. The Commission recognizes that some VRS CAs work from home, and
that there are benefits that come with the flexibility of these
arrangements.
[[Page 51738]]
This practice, however, raises concerns about whether the
confidentiality of calls can be guaranteed and whether VRS CAs working
from home can meet other mandatory minimum standards applicable to the
provision of relay, such as the ability to handle emergency calls in
accordance with the Commission's rules. The Commission seeks comment on
how it can balance the goals of allowing CAs the convenience and
flexibility that comes with working from home with the need to ensure
the confidentiality of calls and that the Commission's mandatory
minimum standards are met. The Commission also seeks comment on
whether, if CAs may work from home, providers should be required to
treat the homes of CAs who work from home as ``call centers'' for
purposes of TRS administration.
3. The Commission also understands that some CAs have in the past
been paid bonuses for working through scheduled breaks or working
overtime in order to relay more minutes which may have resulted in
schemes by CAs to initiate or participate in fraudulent VRS calls in
order to receive such bonuses while still receiving necessary breaks.
While the Commission believes the vast majority of CAs do not engage in
this type of minute-pumping, the Commission seeks comment on whether
such bonus schemes or any other type of compensation arrangement exist;
and, if so, whether they incent CAs to arrange or cause to be arranged
calls that would not otherwise be made, and what types of safeguards
can be adopted to deter and prevent use of them.
Procedures for the Suspension of Payment
4. The TRS rules that authorize the Fund administrator to suspend
or delay payments to a TRS provider if the provider fails to provide
adequate verification of payment do not set forth in detail procedures
for the suspension of payment and the resolution of whether certain
minutes are legitimate and should be paid. The Commission therefore
seeks comment on the adoption of new rules addressing the procedures
for the suspension or withholding of payments to providers in
circumstances where the Fund administrator reasonably believes that the
minutes may not be legitimate or otherwise were not submitted in
compliance with the TRS rules.
5. In ensuring that the providers must be afforded due process, the
Commission tentatively concludes that the rules must, at a minimum: (1)
Give timely notice to the providers of the minutes for which payment is
being withheld, as well as the reason(s) for the withholding; (2)
afford providers an opportunity to show why they believe the withheld
minutes are in fact compensable; and (3) require that providers be
given, in a timely fashion, a final determination of whether payment
will be made for the disputed minutes with a supporting explanation.
The Commission also tentatively concludes that the rules should place
the burden on the provider to show that the minutes in question are
compensable and were handled in accordance with the Commission's rules.
The Commission seeks comment on these tentative conclusions, and on the
nature of the showing providers should be required to make to establish
that minutes submitted for payment are legitimate. Further, the
Commission seeks comment on whether it should adopt new rules or modify
existing rules to provide the TRS Fund administrator with the tools
necessary to execute its administrative and auditing responsibilities.
Specific Call Practices
6. International VRS Calls. In the VRS Declaratory Ruling,
published at 75 FR 25255, May 7, 2010, the Bureau confirmed that VRS
calls that both originate and terminate outside the United States are
not compensable. The Commission seeks comment on ways to address fraud
and misuse associated with international VRS calls without undermining
the use of VRS to make legitimate international calls. The Commission
also seeks comment on the role of ten-digit numbering, registered
locations, or other potential solutions (e.g., particular software) to
help ensure that VRS calls that terminate overseas are, in fact,
legitimate TRS calls.
7. VRS Calls in Which the Caller's Face Does Not Appear on the
Screen; Use of Privacy Screens; Idle Calls. Some VRS providers and VRS
equipment permit a VRS caller to use a ``privacy screen'' during a call
that prevents the VRS CA from viewing the caller. Although there may be
legitimate reasons for a VRS CA or a caller to briefly use a privacy
screen, in some instances it may be used to facilitate a call solely
intended to generate minutes. The Commission therefore seeks comment on
how it might amend the TRS rules to address the use and misuse of
privacy screens. The Commission also specifically seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that if a caller is away from the call or
unresponsive for longer than two minutes, the CA should disconnect the
call, and on what the appropriate time period a call may be idle is
before being disconnected. A VRS call placed on hold by a business
would not be considered ``idle,'' even if the hold time exceeds two
minutes.
8. Calls Involving Remote Training. The Commission recognizes that
a significant number of VRS minutes submitted for compensation in
recent months are attributable to remote training. To the extent that
VRS calls that enable a person to participate in remote training using
a VRS CA are, in fact, being used as a substitute for in-person
interpreting or Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services, the
Commission has already made clear that this would be an improper use of
VRS. The Commission seeks comment on its tentative conclusion that,
despite its prior finding that calls made for the purpose of generating
compensable minutes as a source of provider revenue are not compensable
from the Fund, a rule specifically barring compensation for remote
training calls initiated or promoted by or on behalf of a provider
would serve as an additional deterrent against fraud and misuse of the
Fund.
Detecting and Stopping the Billing of Illegitimate Calls
9. Automated Call Data Collection. The Commission seeks comment on
its tentative conclusion that the TRS rules should be modified to make
clear that providers must automatically capture the conversation time,
to the nearest second, for each call submitted for payment from the
Fund, which the Commission expects would reduce opportunities for fraud
and the erroneous submission of minutes for payment.
10. Data Filed with the Fund Administrator to Support Payment
Claims. In 2008, the Fund Administrator instructed VRS providers that,
in addition to the speed of answer compliance data they were already
submitting, monthly minutes of use submitted for payment must be
supported by the following call data records: (1) The call record ID
sequence; (2) Communications Assistant ID; (3) session start and end
times; (4) conversation start and end times; (5) incoming telephone
number or IP address; (6) outbound telephone number or IP address; (7)
total conversation minutes; and (8) total session minutes., The
Commission seeks comment on its tentative conclusion that the TRS rules
should be amended to specifically require the filing of this call data
information as a functional TRS mandatory minimum standard that
providers must meet to be eligible for compensation from the Fund,
because review of this information is essential to detecting and
deterring fraud and the
[[Page 51739]]
billing of illegitimate calls. The Commission also seeks comment on any
other call record information it should require providers to submit to
the Fund administrator to support their claims for payment, and on its
tentative conclusion that the TRS rules should be amended to require
that all this data be submitted electronically and in a standardized
format.
11. Requiring Providers to Submit Information About New and
Existing Call Centers. The Commission seeks comment on its tentative
conclusions that: (1) It should amend the TRS mandatory minimum
standards to require VRS providers eligible for compensation from the
Fund that submit minutes for payment to file with the Commission and
Fund administrator on a quarterly basis a statement detailing the name
and address of each call center the provider owns or controls, the
number of CAs and CA managers at the call center, and the name and
contact information for the managers of the call center; and (2) that
it will require VRS providers to file an amendment to their most recent
quarterly filing each time they open a new call center, close a call
center, or the ownership or management of a call center changes, or
changes to the list of providers whose calls are processed through the
call center. The Commission further proposes that such amendments be
required to be filed within thirty days of such an event. This
information will enable the Commission and Fund administrator to better
oversee compliance with Commission rules to ensure the compensability
of submitted minutes as well as to ensure that sub-contractors are
providing the quality of service the Commission's rules require.
12. Requiring Service to be Offered in the Name of the Provider
Seeking Compensation from the Fund; Revenue Sharing Schemes. The
Commission's rules permit providers eligible for compensation from the
Fund to subcontract with other entities for actual provision of
service. Although the eligible provider is responsible for ensuring
that such calls billed to the Fund are legitimate, in some cases it is
possible that the eligible provider exercises very little oversight
over the call handling operations. In other cases, arrangements have
been made in order to facilitate fraud. One VRS provider proposes that
the Commission adopt a rule stating that providers cannot be
compensated from the Fund unless the provider seeking compensation
``clearly identified itself to the calling parties at the outset of the
calls as the TRS provider for those calls.'' Another VRS provider
proposes that the Commission altogether prohibit uncertified entities
from billing the TRS Fund through certified providers. The Commission
seeks comment on these proposals and on other ways it can ensure that
the entities that actually relay calls are accountable for compliance
with the Commission's rules.
13. Whistleblower Protections for VRS CAs and Other Provider
Employees. The Commission recognizes that CAs and other employees of
providers are often in the best position to detect possible fraud and
misconduct by the provider, but that employees are often reluctant to
report possible wrongdoing because they fear they may lose their job or
be subject to other forms of retaliation. Given recent evidence of
fraud and the billing of illegitimate VRS minutes, the Commission seeks
comment on its tentative conclusion that it should adopt a specific
whistleblower protection rule for the employees and subcontractors of
TRS providers, and on what the scope and contents of such a rule should
be.
14. Transparency and the Disclosure of Provider Financial and Call
Data. Currently, the Commission addresses provider cost and demand data
only in the aggregate or in some other way that does not reveal the
individual data of a particular provider. The Commission seeks comment
on whether it should require that all VRS provider cost and demand data
be made available to the public and, if so, how such a requirement
should be implemented. The Commission further seeks comment on how it
might balance the legitimate need for transparency of provider costs
with any legitimate interest in keeping that information (or some
portion of it) confidential. The Commission requests that commenters
favoring disclosure specifically address the scope of such requirement,
how the data should be made public, and any exceptions or limits to a
rule requiring disclosure of provider specific cost and demand data.
15. Provider Audits. The Commission is authorized to suspend
payment to providers who do not submit to audits. The Commission seeks
comment on whether it should amend the TRS mandatory minimum standards
to include more specific and stringent auditing rules in order to
better safeguard the integrity of the Fund. Commenters favoring such
rules should address the scope and frequency of such audits.
16. Record Retention. The Commission recognizes that to detect and
deter fraud or other call or billing irregularities it must have access
to the underlying call data. The Commission seeks comment on its
tentative conclusion that it should amend the TRS rules to require
Internet-based TRS providers to retain their call detail records, other
records that support their claims for payment from the Fund, and those
records used to substantiate the costs and expense data submitted in
the annual relay service data request form, for five years.
17. Provider Certification Under Penalty of Perjury. In the Order
portion of document FCC 10-88, the Commission adopts an interim rule
requiring the CEO, CFO, or other senior executive of a relay service
provider to certify, under penalty of perjury, that: (1) Minutes
submitted to the Fund administrator for compensation were handled in
compliance with section 225 of the Communications Act of 1934, as
amended, and the Commission's rules and orders, and are not the result
of impermissible financial incentives, or payments or kickbacks, to
generate calls, and (2) cost and demand data submitted to the Fund
administrator related to the determination of compensation rates or
methodologies are true and correct. See 75 FR 39859, July 13, 2010. The
Commission seeks comment on its tentative conclusion that it should
adopt these rules permanently.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Certification
18. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA), 5
U.S.C. 603, requires that an initial regulatory flexibility analysis be
prepared for notice-and-comment rulemaking proceedings, unless the
agency certifies that ``the rule will not, if promulgated, have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities.'' 5 U.S.C. 605(1). The RFA generally defines the term ``small
entity'' as having the same meaning as the terms ``small business,''
``small organization,'' and ``small governmental jurisdiction.'' 5
U.S.C. 601(6). In addition, the term ``small business'' has the same
meaning as the term ``small business concern'' under the Small Business
Act. A ``small business concern'' is one that: (1) Is independently
owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in its field of operation; and
(3) satisfies any additional criteria established by the Small Business
Administration (SBA).
19. In the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM, the Commission reaches tentative
conclusions on a range of issues affecting the provision of VRS and
ways to detect and prevent fraud and misuse in the VRS program.
Specifically, the Commission tentatively concludes that: All VRS call
centers must be located in the United States; VRS CAs must work in a
centralized call center where other
[[Page 51740]]
personnel are present, including other CAs and supervisors; the
Commission should adopt new rules, affording providers due process,
addressing procedures for the suspension or withholding of payments to
providers in circumstances where the Fund Administrator reasonably
believes that the minutes may not be legitimate or otherwise were not
submitted in compliance with the TRS rules, but placing the burden on
the provider to show that the minutes in question are compensable and
were handled in accordance with the TRS rules; VRS calls that originate
or terminate overseas shall not be compensable from the Fund; a CA
should disconnect a VRS call in which the caller's face does not appear
on the screen (including when the caller is using a ``privacy
screen''), or where the call is ``idle,'' for more than two minutes; a
rule specifically barring compensation for remote training calls
initiated or promoted by or on behalf of a provider would serve as an
additional deterrent against fraud and misuse of the Fund; providers
must use automated, rather than manual, methods to capture a TRS call's
conversation time, to the nearest second, for each call submitted for
payment from the Fund; the TRS rules should specifically require that
providers file certain call data information in order to eligible for
compensation from the Fund, and providers must file it electronically
and in a standardized format; providers must file with the Commission
and Fund administrator on a quarterly basis a statement detailing the
name and address of each call center the provider owns or controls
(including subcontract arrangements), as well as various information
concerning the management of such call centers; the Commission should
adopt a permanent rule requiring the CEO, CFO, or other senior
executive of a provider submitting data to the Fund administrator to
make various certifications under penalty of perjury; the Commission
should adopt specific whistleblower protection rules for the employees
and subcontractors of TRS providers; and Internet-based TRS providers
must retain their call detail records, and other records to support
their claims for payment from the Fund, for five years.
20. The 2010 VRS Reform NPRM also seeks comment on whether the
Commission should prohibit ``white-label'' Internet-based TRS
services--where non-certified providers offer service and bill the Fund
through certified providers--and on other ways that the Commission can
ensure that the entities that actually relay calls are accountable for
compliance with the Commission's rules. In addition, it seeks comment
on whether--and if so, how--VRS provider cost and demand data should be
made available to the public, and whether the Commission should adopt
more specific and stringent auditing rules in order to better safeguard
the integrity of the Fund.
21. With regard to whether a substantial number of small entities
may be affected by the requirements proposed in the 2010 VRS Reform
NPRM, the Commission notes that, of the fourteen providers affected by
the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM, no more than five meet the definition of a
small entity. The SBA has developed a small business size standard for
Wired Telecommunications Carriers, which consists of all such firms
having 1,500 or fewer employees. 13 CFR 121.201, NAICS code 517110.
Currently, fourteen providers receive compensation from the Interstate
TRS Fund for providing any form of TRS. Because no more than five of
the providers that would be affected by the 2010 VRS Reform NPRM, if
adopted, are deemed to be small entities under the SBA's small business
size standard, the Commission concludes that the number of small
entities potentially affected by our proposed rules is not substantial.
Moreover, given that all providers potentially affected by the proposed
rules, including those deemed to be small entities under the SBA's
standard, would be entitled to receive prompt reimbursement for their
reasonable costs of compliance, the Commission concludes that the 2010
VRS Reform NPRM, if adopted, will not have a significant economic
impact on these small entities.
22. Therefore, the Commission certifies that the proposals in the
2010 VRS Reform NPRM, if adopted, will not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small entities.
23. The Commission will send a copy of the 2010 VRS NPRM, including
a copy of this Initial Regulatory Flexibility Certification, to the
Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the SBA.
Ordering Clauses
Pursuant to sections 1, 4(i) and (o), 225, 303(r), 403, 624(g), and
706 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 151,
154(i) and (o), 225, 303(r), 403, 554(g), and 606, document FCC 10-88
is adopted.
The Commission's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau,
Reference Information Center, shall send a copy of document FCC 10-88,
including the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Certification, to the
Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 64
Claims, Individuals with disabilities, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Telecommunications.
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
Proposed Rules
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Federal
Communications Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR part 64 as follows:
PART 64--MISCELLANEOUS RULES RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS
1. The authority citation for part 64 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 254(k); secs. 403(b)(2)(B), (c), Pub.
L. 104-104, 110 Stat. 56. Interpret or apply 47 U.S.C. 201, 218,
222, 225, 226, 228, and 254(k) unless otherwise noted.
2. Section 64.604 is amended by adding paragraphs (a)(3)(ix),
(a)(6), (a)(7), and (b)(4)(iii), and by revising paragraph
(c)(5)(iii)(E), to read as follows:
Sec. 64.604 Mandatory minimum standards.
* * * * *
(a) * * *
(3) * * *
(ix) Relay calls that enable a person with hearing or speech
disability to participate in a remote training program, made available
to the public or to an entity's employees, do not fall within the scope
of this subpart.
* * * * *
(6) In addition to those standards set forth above, Internet-based
TRS providers shall be subject to the following standards:
(i) Automated call data collection. For each Internet-based TRS
call, providers must automatically record session and conversation time
to the nearest second.
(ii) Revenue sharing agreements. The administrator shall not
compensate for minutes resulting from an Internet-based TRS call unless
the entity seeking compensation from the Fund for such minutes clearly
identified itself to the calling parties at the beginning of the call
as the TRS provider for the call.
(iii) Whistleblower protections. Providers shall permit any
employee, agent, or contractor to disclose to a designated manager any
known or suspected violations of FCC rules, or any other activity that
the reporting person believes to be unlawful, wasteful, fraudulent, or
abusive, or that otherwise could result in the improper
[[Page 51741]]
billing of minutes to the Interstate TRS Fund. Providers must make
available at least one means by which such disclosure may be made
anonymously. Providers must promptly investigate any report of
wrongdoing and, when warranted, take appropriate corrective action.
Providers may not discipline any employee, agent, or contractor solely
for reporting under this provision. Providers shall also inform all
employees, agents, and contractors that they may directly contact the
Commission's Office of Inspector General to report wrongdoing.
(iv) Record retention. Providers shall retain their call detail
records for five years from the date of service, and shall make such
records available to the Commission or administrator upon request.
(7) In addition to those standards set forth above, Video Relay
Service providers shall be subject to the following standards:
(i) Idle time or no face on screen. If either party to a VRS call
is away from the call, or otherwise unavailable or unresponsive, for
more than two minutes the CA may disconnect the call, except when the
call has been placed on hold by a business. If at any time during a VRS
call a VRS CA is confronted with only a blank screen (e.g., a privacy
screen), or a screen that does not display the face of the video
caller, the CA may disconnect the call if the video caller's face does
not reappear within two minutes.
(ii) Call center information. VRS providers shall file quarterly
reports with the Commission and the administrator by March 31, June 30,
September 20, and December 31 each year stating the name and address of
each call center the provider owns or controls (including call centers
owned or operated by subcontractors or entities operating calls centers
for a subcontractor), the number of CAs and CA managers at each call
center, and the name and contact information for the key managers at
each call center. VRS providers shall file an amendment to their most
recent quarterly filing within 30 days of opening a call center,
closing a call center, or changing the ownership or management of a
call center.
* * * * *
(b) * * *
(4) * * *
(iii) Location of call centers. VRS call centers must be located in
the United States.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(5) * * *
(iii) * * *
(E) Payments to TRS providers. TRS Fund payments shall be
distributed to TRS providers based on formulas approved or modified by
the Commission. The administrator shall file schedules of payment
formulas with the Commission. Such formulas shall be designed to
compensate TRS providers for reasonable costs of providing interstate
TRS, and shall be subject to Commission approval. Such formulas shall
be based on total monthly interstate TRS minutes of use. TRS minutes of
use for purposes of interstate cost recovery under the TRS Fund are
defined as the minutes of use for completed interstate TRS calls placed
through the TRS center beginning after call set-up and concluding after
the last message call unit. In addition to the data required under
paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C) of this section, all TRS providers, including
providers who are not interexchange carriers, local exchange carriers,
or certified state relay providers, must submit reports of interstate
TRS minutes of use to the administrator in order to receive payments.
These reports shall include the call record ID sequence, CA ID, session
start and end times, conversation start and end times, incoming
telephone number or IP address for Internet-based TRS service not
subject to the numbering requirements under Sec. 64.611, outbound
telephone number or IP address for Internet-based TRS service not
subject to the numbering requirements under Sec. 64.611, total
conversation minutes, and total session minutes. In addition, VRS and
IP Relay providers shall include in their reports speed of answer
compliance data. The administrator shall establish procedures to verify
payment claims, and may suspend or delay payments to a TRS provider if
the TRS provider fails to provide adequate verification of payment upon
reasonable request, or if directed by the Commission to do so. The
administrator shall make payments only to eligible TRS providers
operating pursuant to the mandatory minimum standards as required in
this section, and after disbursements to the administrator for
reasonable expenses incurred by it in connection with TRS Fund
administration. TRS providers receiving payments shall file a form
prescribed by the administrator. The administrator shall fashion a form
that is consistent with parts 32 and 36 of this chapter procedures
reasonably tailored to meet the needs of TRS providers. The Commission
shall have authority to audit providers and have access to all data,
including carrier specific data, collected by the Fund administrator.
The Fund administrator shall have authority to audit TRS providers
reporting data to the administrator. The formulas should appropriately
compensate interstate providers for the provision of VRS, whether
intrastate or interstate.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2010-20615 Filed 8-20-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P