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Transition from TTY to Real-Time Text Technology

NVRC Board Members Tom Dowling, Gary Viall, and Alexa Schriempf, and staff member Debbie Jones attended this morning's FCC Open Meeting   There was a great turn out of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind and Speech Disability consumer organizations!  There were representatives from Gallaudet University, TDI, HLAA, and NAD, to name just a few.

The first item on the agenda for this morning's meeting was the Transition from TTY to Real-Time Text Technology:

The Commission will consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to help achieve the transition from TTY technology to a reliable and interoperable means of providing real-time text communication over wireless Internet protocol-enabled networks and services.

 

Real-Time Text Technology (RTT) would replace the old TTY technology for communication over telephone lines and wireless systems, providing real-time, as you type it, text communications for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind and Speech Disabled consumers.  RTT would be flexible to work on all internet protocol systems and devices, as well as being retro compatible with older TTY devices, until they phase out.  It would also be compatible with 911 systems for emergency calls.

The FCC heard the report  on Real-Time Text Technology, as well as remarks from Bobbi Cordano, President of Gallaudet University. The Commissioners voted to adopt the Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

This means that, moving forward, industries will not limited to making devices compatible with the old TTY technology, and can focus on making RTT interoperable across all devices and IP networks.

(See attached press release)

DOWNLOAD (PDF) - FCC Press Release DOC-342624A1

See pictures of meeting on facebook

 

 

 

On September 29, 2016, the FCC adopted rules to update and strengthen Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which are alerts that are sent to wireless phones.  The updated rules are intended to promote the wider use and effectiveness of WEA and to make such messages more accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Highlights of the updated rules include: 

  • Increase the maximum length of WEA messages (from 90 to 360 characters) for 4G LTE and future networks;
  • Require participating wireless providers to support inclusion of embedded phone numbers and URLs in all WEA alerts;
  • Require participating wireless providers to deliver the alerts to more specifically targeted geographic areas to avoid “over-alerting”;
  • Create a new class of alerts (“Public Safety Messages”) to convey essential, recommended actions that can save lives or property (e.g. emergency shelter locations or a boil water order);
  • Require participating wireless providers to support transmission of Spanish-language alerts; and
  • Make it easier for state and local authorities to test WEA, train personnel, and raise public awareness about the service.

    The FCC also released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) to invite public comment on:

 

 

 

 

 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in partnership with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on:
September 28, 2016, at 2:20 PM EDT. 

If rescheduling is necessary, the alternate test date is October 5, 2016.

The EAS test is going to be broadcast through these ways:

•             Radio broadcast stations;
•             Television broadcast stations:
•             Cable systems;
•             Wireline video systems;
•             Direct broadcast satellite service providers; and
•             Digital audio radio service providers.

The EAS test will gauge the reliability, accessibility, and effectiveness of the EAS. The emergency test message will be transmitted in English and Spanish via audio and text, which can be used to create an accessible video crawl to ensure that all members of the public will be able to access this emergency test.

The FCC Public Safety Support Center welcomes feedback on the accessibility of this test.  If you observe any problems about this test, or have feedback about the test, please submit your comments at:   https://www.fcc.gov/general/public-safety-support-center.

 

 

On August 4, 2016, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (Bureau) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM), seeking comment on strengthening the Commission's requirements for the interoperability and portability of video relay services (VRS). 

The Bureau set the deadline for filing comments 21 days after publication of the FNPRM in the Federal Register.  A summary of the FNPRM was published in the Federal Register on August 24, 2016, which established a deadline of September 14, 2016.  The Bureau announced this deadline by Public Notice released on August 25, 2016.

Links to the Public Notice:

Word:  https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-973A1.doc
PDF:  https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-973A1.pdf
Text:  https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-973A1.txt

Links to the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (corrected):

Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-893A1.doc
PDF: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-893A1.pdf
Text:  https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-893A1.txt

For more information, contact:  Eliot Greenwald, Disability Rights Office, CGB, at 202-418-2235 or Eliot.Greenwald@fcc.gov, or Robert Aldrich, CGB, at 202-418-0996 orRobert.Aldrich@fcc.gov.  For those using videophones and fluent in American Sign Language, you may call the ASL Consumer Support Line at 844-432-2275.

 

 

The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted the suspension of the conditional certification of InnoCaption to provide Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS).

In April of 2015, CGB suspended InnoCaption’s conditional certification to provide IP CTS because InnoCaption failed to provide 911 calling to emergency services as required by the FCC’s rules.  During the period of suspension, InnoCaption took steps to fix its service so it could handle 911 calls.  In the Order adopted today, CGB concludes that InnoCaption is now capable of handling 911 calls through its IP CTS service in compliance with the FCC’s rules.  As a result, InnoCaption is permitted to resume providing IP CTS.

The link(s) for the document are as follows:

https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-699A1.docx

https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-699A1.pdf

https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-699A1.txt

For further information contact Eliot Greenwald at eliot.greenwald@fcc.gov or 202-418-2235.

 

 

The FCC’s Media Bureau Announces Comment and Reply Deadlines for Video Navigation Choices NPRM and Establishes Schedule for Ex Parte Meetings

On February 18, 2016, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on proposed rules that will let consumers choose how they wish to access cable and other multichannel video programming.  The NPRM asks about allowing independent consumer electronics manufacturers, innovators, and other developers to build devices (i.e., set-top boxes) or software solutions that can navigate the universe of multichannel video programming.   Among other things, the NPRM seeks comment on implications of these actions for accessibility obligations, such as closed captioning, video description, and accessible user interfaces on set-top boxes that consumers would be able to acquire separately from their cable providers.

The comment dates for this proceeding have now been set:
Comments Due:  April 22, 2016
Reply Comments Due:  May 23, 2016

In addition, the Media Bureau is making the following dates available to meet with interested parties to discuss issues raised in the NPRM as follows:

Dates Set Aside for Ex Parte Meetings with Bureau: June 6-10, 2016

Links to the Public Notice:  

Word:  https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-290A1.doc
PDF:  https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-290A1.pdf

Links to the Video Navigation Choices NPRM:
Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-16-18A1.docx
PDF: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-16-18A1.pdf

For more information contact, Brendan Murray, Brendan.Murray@fcc.gov, or Lyle Elder, Lyle.Elder@fcc.gov, of the Media Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418-2120.