Goto Section: 64.603 | 64.605 | Table of Contents
FCC 64.604
Revised as of October 5, 2017
Goto Year:2016 |
2018
§ 64.604 Mandatory minimum standards.
The standards in this section are applicable December 18, 2000, except
as stated in paragraphs (c)(2) and (c)(7) of this section.
(a) Operational standards—(1) Communications assistant (CA). (i) TRS
providers are responsible for requiring that all CAs be sufficiently
trained to effectively meet the specialized communications needs of
individuals with hearing and speech disabilities.
(ii) CAs must have competent skills in typing, grammar, spelling,
interpretation of typewritten ASL, and familiarity with hearing and
speech disability cultures, languages and etiquette. CAs must possess
clear and articulate voice communications.
(iii) CAs must provide a typing speed of a minimum of 60 words per
minute. Technological aids may be used to reach the required typing
speed. Providers must give oral-to-type tests of CA speed.
(iv) TRS providers are responsible for requiring that VRS CAs are
qualified interpreters. A “qualified interpreter” is able to interpret
effectively, accurately, and impartially, both receptively and
expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.
(v) CAs answering and placing a TTY-based TRS or VRS call shall stay
with the call for a minimum of ten minutes. CAs answering and placing
an STS call shall stay with the call for a minimum of twenty minutes.
The minimum time period shall begin to run when the CA reaches the
called party. The obligation of the CA to stay with the call shall
terminate upon the earlier of:
(A) The termination of the call by one of the parties to the call; or
(B) The completion of the minimum time period.
(vi) TRS providers must make best efforts to accommodate a TRS user's
requested CA gender when a call is initiated and, if a transfer occurs,
at the time the call is transferred to another CA.
(vii) TRS shall transmit conversations between TTY and voice callers in
real time.
(viii) STS providers shall offer STS users the option to have their
voices muted so that the other party to the call will hear only the CA
and will not hear the STS user's voice.
(2) Confidentiality and conversation content. (i) Except as authorized
by section 705 of the Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 605, CAs are
prohibited from disclosing the content of any relayed conversation
regardless of content, and with a limited exception for STS CAs, from
keeping records of the content of any conversation beyond the duration
of a call, even if to do so would be inconsistent with state or local
law. STS CAs may retain information from a particular call in order to
facilitate the completion of consecutive calls, at the request of the
user. The caller may request the STS CA to retain such information, or
the CA may ask the caller if he wants the CA to repeat the same
information during subsequent calls. The CA may retain the information
only for as long as it takes to complete the subsequent calls.
(ii) CAs are prohibited from intentionally altering a relayed
conversation and, to the extent that it is not inconsistent with
federal, state or local law regarding use of telephone company
facilities for illegal purposes, must relay all conversation verbatim
unless the relay user specifically requests summarization, or if the
user requests interpretation of an ASL call. An STS CA may facilitate
the call of an STS user with a speech disability so long as the CA does
not interfere with the independence of the user, the user maintains
control of the conversation, and the user does not object. Appropriate
measures must be taken by relay providers to ensure that
confidentiality of VRS users is maintained.
(3) Types of calls. (i) Consistent with the obligations of
telecommunications carrier operators, CAs are prohibited from refusing
single or sequential calls or limiting the length of calls utilizing
relay services.
(ii) Relay services shall be capable of handling any type of call
normally provided by telecommunications carriers unless the Commission
determines that it is not technologically feasible to do so. Relay
service providers have the burden of proving the infeasibility of
handling any type of call. Providers of Internet-based TRS need not
provide the same billing options (e.g., sent-paid long distance,
operator-assisted, collect, and third party billing) traditionally
offered for wireline voice services if they allow for long distance
calls to be placed using calling cards or credit cards or do not assess
charges for long distance calling. Providers of Internet-based TRS need
not allow for long distance calls to be placed using calling cards or
credit cards if they do not assess charges for long distance calling.
(iii) Relay service providers are permitted to decline to complete a
call because credit authorization is denied.
(iv) Relay services other than Internet-based TRS shall be capable of
handling pay-per-call calls.
(v) TRS providers are required to provide the following types of TRS
calls:
(A) Text-to-voice and voice-to-text;
(B) One-line VCO, two-line VCO, VCO-to-TTY, and VCO-to-VCO; and
(C) One-line HCO, two-line HCO, HCO-to-TTY, HCO-to-HCO. VRS providers
are not required to provide text-to-voice and voice-to-text
functionality. IP Relay providers are not required to provide one-line
VCO and one-line HCO. IP Relay providers and VRS providers are not
required to provide:
(1) VCO-to-TTY and VCO-to-VCO; and
(2) HCO-to-TTY and HCO-to-HCO. Captioned telephone service providers
and IP CTS providers are not required to provide:
(i) Text-to-voice functionality; and
(ii) One-line HCO, two-line HCO, HCO-to-TTY, and HCO-to-HCO. IP CTS
providers are not required to provide one-line VCO.
(vi) TRS providers are required to provide the following features:
(A) Call release functionality (only with respect to the provision of
TTY-based relay service);
(B) Speed dialing functionality; and
(C) Three-way calling functionality.
(vii) Voice mail and interactive menus. CAs must alert the TRS user to
the presence of a recorded message and interactive menu through a hot
key on the CA's terminal. The hot key will send text from the CA to the
consumer's TTY indicating that a recording or interactive menu has been
encountered. Relay providers shall electronically capture recorded
messages and retain them for the length of the call. Relay providers
may not impose any charges for additional calls, which must be made by
the relay user in order to complete calls involving recorded or
interactive messages.
(viii) TRS providers shall provide, as TRS features, answering machine
and voice mail retrieval.
(4) Emergency call handling requirements for TTY-based TRS providers.
TTY-based TRS providers must use a system for incoming emergency calls
that, at a minimum, automatically and immediately transfers the caller
to an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). An appropriate
PSAP is either a PSAP that the caller would have reached if he had
dialed 911 directly, or a PSAP that is capable of enabling the dispatch
of emergency services to the caller in an expeditious manner.
(5) STS called numbers. Relay providers must offer STS users the option
to maintain at the relay center a list of names and telephone numbers
which the STS user calls. When the STS user requests one of these
names, the CA must repeat the name and state the telephone number to
the STS user. This information must be transferred to any new STS
provider.
(6) Visual privacy screens/idle calls. A VRS CA may not enable a visual
privacy screen or similar feature during a VRS call. A VRS CA must
disconnect a VRS call if the caller or the called party to a VRS call
enables a privacy screen or similar feature for more than five minutes
or is otherwise unresponsive or unengaged for more than five minutes,
unless the call is a 9-1-1 emergency call or the caller or called party
is legitimately placed on hold and is present and waiting for active
communications to commence. Prior to disconnecting the call, the CA
must announce to both parties the intent to terminate the call and may
reverse the decision to disconnect if one of the parties indicates
continued engagement with the call.
(7) International calls. VRS calls that originate from an international
IP address will not be compensated, with the exception of calls made by
a U.S. resident who has pre-registered with his or her default provider
prior to leaving the country, during specified periods of time while on
travel and from specified regions of travel, for which there is an
accurate means of verifying the identity and location of such callers.
For purposes of this section, an international IP address is defined as
one that indicates that the individual initiating the call is located
outside the United States.
(b) Technical standards—(1) ASCII and Baudot. TTY-based relay service
shall be capable of communicating with ASCII and Baudot format, at any
speed generally in use. Other forms of TRS are not subject to this
requirement.
(2) Speed of answer. (i) TRS providers shall ensure adequate TRS
facility staffing to provide callers with efficient access under
projected calling volumes, so that the probability of a busy response
due to CA unavailability shall be functionally equivalent to what a
voice caller would experience in attempting to reach a party through
the voice telephone network.
(ii) TRS facilities shall, except during network failure, answer 85% of
all calls within 10 seconds by any method which results in the caller's
call immediately being placed, not put in a queue or on hold. The ten
seconds begins at the time the call is delivered to the TRS facility's
network. A TRS facility shall ensure that adequate network facilities
shall be used in conjunction with TRS so that under projected calling
volume the probability of a busy response due to loop trunk congestion
shall be functionally equivalent to what a voice caller would
experience in attempting to reach a party through the voice telephone
network.
(A) The call is considered delivered when the TRS facility's equipment
accepts the call from the local exchange carrier (LEC) and the public
switched network actually delivers the call to the TRS facility.
(B) Abandoned calls shall be included in the speed-of-answer
calculation.
(C) A TRS provider's compliance with this rule shall be measured on a
daily basis.
(D) The system shall be designed to a P.01 standard.
(E) A LEC shall provide the call attempt rates and the rates of calls
blocked between the LEC and the TRS facility to relay administrators
and TRS providers upon request.
(iii) Speed of answer requirements for VRS providers. VRS providers
must answer 80% of all VRS calls within 120 seconds, measured on a
monthly basis. VRS providers must meet the speed of answer requirements
for VRS providers as measured from the time a VRS call reaches
facilities operated by the VRS provider to the time when the call is
answered by a CA—i.e., not when the call is put on hold, placed in a
queue, or connected to an IVR system. Abandoned calls shall be included
in the VRS speed of answer calculation.
(3) Equal access to interexchange carriers. TRS users shall have access
to their chosen interexchange carrier through the TRS, and to all other
operator services to the same extent that such access is provided to
voice users. This requirement is inapplicable to providers of
Internet-based TRS if they do not assess specific charges for long
distance calling.
(4) TRS facilities. (i) TRS shall operate every day, 24 hours a day.
Relay services that are not mandated by this Commission need not be
provided every day, 24 hours a day, except VRS.
(ii) TRS shall have redundancy features functionally equivalent to the
equipment in normal central offices, including uninterruptible power
for emergency use.
(iii) A VRS CA may not handle VRS calls from a location primarily used
as his or her home unless as part of the voluntary at-home VRS call
handling pilot program as provided for by paragraph (b)(8) of this
section.
(iv) A VRS provider leasing or licensing an automatic call distribution
(ACD) platform must have a written lease or license agreement. Such
lease or license agreement may not include any revenue sharing
agreement or compensation based upon minutes of use. In addition, if
any such lease is between two eligible VRS providers, the lessee or
licensee must locate the ACD platform on its own premises and must
utilize its own employees to manage the ACD platform.
(5) Technology. No regulation set forth in this subpart is intended to
discourage or impair the development of improved technology that
fosters the availability of telecommunications to person with
disabilities. TRS facilities are permitted to use SS7 technology or any
other type of similar technology to enhance the functional equivalency
and quality of TRS. TRS facilities that utilize SS7 technology shall be
subject to the Calling Party Telephone Number rules set forth at 47 CFR
64.1600 et seq.
(6) Caller ID. When a TRS facility is able to transmit any calling
party identifying information to the public network, the TRS facility
must pass through, to the called party, at least one of the following:
the number of the TRS facility, 711, or the 10-digit number of the
calling party.
(7) STS 711 Calls. An STS provider shall, at a minimum, employ the same
means of enabling an STS user to connect to a CA when dialing 711 that
the provider uses for all other forms of TRS. When a CA directly
answers an incoming 711 call, the CA shall transfer the STS user to an
STS CA without requiring the STS user to take any additional steps.
When an interactive voice response (IVR) system answers an incoming 711
call, the IVR system shall allow for an STS user to connect directly to
an STS CA using the same level of prompts as the IVR system uses for
all other forms of TRS.
(8) Voluntary at-home VRS call handling pilot program. Any VRS provider
that holds a conditional or full certification to receive compensation
from the TRS Fund pursuant to § 64.606 as of March 23, 2017 may
participate in the voluntary at-home VRS call handling pilot program.
The pilot program shall be in effect for one year, for service provided
by participants beginning November 1, 2017, and ending October 31,
2018.
(i) Notification of intent to participate. A VRS provider seeking to
participate in the pilot program shall notify the Commission of its
intent to participate on or before September 1, 2017, and shall include
in such notification a detailed plan demonstrating that the VRS
provider intends to achieve compliance with the mandatory minimum
standards applicable to VRS and with the safeguards enumerated in this
paragraph (b)(8). Plans submitted by VRS providers shall specify the
following:
(A) A description of the screening process used to select CAs for the
at-home call handling program;
(B) A description of specific training to be provided for at-home CAs;
(C) A description of the protocols and CA expectations developed for
the at-home call handling program;
(D) A description of the grounds for dismissing a CA from the at-home
program and the process for such termination in the event that the CA
fails to adhere to applicable requirements;
(E) A description of all steps that will be taken to install a
workstation in a CA's home, including evaluations that will be
performed to ensure all workstations are sufficiently secure and
equipped to prevent eavesdropping and outside interruptions;
(F) A description of the monitoring technology to be used by the
provider to ensure that off-site supervision approximates the level of
supervision at the provider's call center;
(G) An explanation of how the provider's workstations will connect to
the provider's network, including how they will be integrated into the
call center routing, distribution, tracking, and support systems, and
how the provider will ensure system redundancy in the event of service
disruptions in at-home workstations;
(H) A signed certification by an officer of the provider that the
provider will conduct random and unannounced inspections of at least
five percent (5%) of all at-home workstations during the pilot program;
and
(I) A commitment to comply with all other safeguards enumerated in this
paragraph (b)(8) and the applicable rules in this chapter governing
TRS.
(ii) Authorization for at-home VRS call handling. Upon Commission
approval of a VRS provider's plan, the provider may conduct at-home VRS
call handling during the period of the pilot program. The Commission
may cancel such approval if a VRS provider fails to comply with any of
the safeguards enumerated in this paragraph (b)(8) or other applicable
mandatory minimum TRS standards. VRS providers may be subject to
withholding, forfeitures, and penalties for noncompliant minutes
handled by at-home workstations, as is the case for non-compliant
minutes handled by call centers.
(iii) Limit on minutes handled. In any month of the program, a VRS
provider may be compensated for minutes served by at-home CA
workstations up to a maximum of either thirty percent (30%) of a VRS
provider's total minutes for which compensation is paid in that month
or thirty percent (30%) of the provider's average monthly minutes for
the 12 months ending October 31, 2017, whichever is greater.
(iv) Personnel safeguards. Before permitting CAs to handle VRS calls
from at-home workstations, VRS providers shall:
(A) Ensure that each CA handling calls from an at-home workstation has
the experience, skills, and knowledge necessary to effectively
interpret from these workstations, including a thorough understanding
of the TRS mandatory minimum standards and at least three years of
experience as a call center CA.
(B) Establish protocols for the handling of calls from at-home
workstations (to the extent there are additional protocols that differ
from those applicable to the provider's call centers) and provide
training to at-home CAs on such protocols, in addition to all
applicable training that is required of CAs working from call centers.
(C) Provide each CA working from an at-home workstation equivalent
support to that provided to CAs working from call centers, as needed to
effectively handle calls, including, where appropriate, the opportunity
to team interpret and consult with supervisors, and ensure that
supervisors are readily available to a CA working from home to resolve
problems that may arise during a relay call, such as difficulty in
understanding a VRS user's signs, the need for added support for
emergency calls, and relieving a CA in the event of the CA's sudden
illness.
(D) Establish grounds for dismissing a CA from the at-home VRS call
handling program (i.e., for noncompliance with the standards and
safeguards enumerated in this paragraph (b)(8) and the rules governing
TRS), including a process for such termination in the event that the CA
fails to adhere to these requirements, and provide such grounds and
process in writing to each CA participating in the pilot program.
(E) Obtain from each CA handling calls from an at-home workstation a
certification in writing of the CA's understanding of and commitment to
complying with the rules in this chapter governing TRS, including rules
governing caller confidentiality and fraud prevention, and the CA's
understanding of the reasons and process for dismissal from the at-home
VRS call handling program.
(v) Technical and environmental safeguards. Participating VRS providers
shall ensure that each home environment used for at-home VRS call
handling enables the provision of confidential and uninterrupted
services to the same extent as the provider's call centers and is
seamlessly integrated into the provider's call routing, distribution,
tracking, and support systems. VRS providers shall ensure that each
at-home workstation:
(A) Resides in a separate, secure location in the CA's home, where
access is restricted solely to the CA;
(B) Allows a CA to use all call-handling technology to the same extent
as other CAs, including the ability to transition a non-emergency call
to an emergency call, engage in virtual teaming with another CA, and
allow supervisors to communicate with and oversee calls;
(C) Is capable of supporting VRS in compliance with the applicable
mandatory minimum technical and emergency call handling standards to
the same degree as these are available at call centers, including the
ability to route VRS calls around individual CA workstations in the
event the CA experiences a network outage or other service
interruption;
(D) Is equipped with an effective means to prevent eavesdropping, such
as white noise emitters or soundproofing, and to ensure that
interruptions from noises outside the room do not adversely affect a
CA's ability to interpret a call accurately and effectively; and
(E) Is connected to the provider's network over a secure connection to
ensure caller privacy.
(vi) Monitoring and oversight obligations. VRS providers shall:
(A) Inspect and approve each at-home workstation before activating a
CA's workstation for use;
(B) Assign a unique call center identification number (ID) to each VRS
at-home workstation and use this call center ID to identify all minutes
handled from each such workstation in its call detail records submitted
monthly to the TRS Fund administrator;
(C) Equip each at-home workstation with monitoring technology
sufficient to ensure that off-site supervision approximates the level
of supervision at the provider's call center, including the ability to
monitor both ends of a call, i.e., video and audio, to the same extent
as is possible in a call center, and regularly analyze the records and
data produced by such monitoring to proactively address possible waste,
fraud, and abuse;
(D) Keep all records pertaining to at-home workstations, including the
data produced by any at-home workstation monitoring technology, except
for any data that records the content of an interpreted conversation,
for a minimum of five years; and
(E) Conduct random and unannounced inspections of at least five percent
(5%) of all at-home workstations during the pilot program.
(vii) Commission audits and inspections. At-home workstations and
workstation records shall be subject to review, audit, and inspection
by the Commission and the Fund administrator and unannounced on-site
inspections by the Commission to the same extent as other call centers
and call center records subject to the rules in this chapter.
(viii) Monthly reports. Each participating VRS provider shall report
the following information to the TRS Fund administrator with its
monthly requests for compensation:
(A) The call center ID and full street address (number, street, city,
state, and zip code) for each at-home workstation and the CA ID number
for each individual handling VRS calls from that workstation; and
(B) The location and call center IDs of call centers providing
supervision for at-home workstations, plus the names of persons at such
call centers responsible for oversight of such workstations.
(ix) Six-month report. Each participating VRS provider shall submit, no
later than seven months after the start of its program, a report
covering the first six months of its program, containing the following
information:
(A) A description of the actual screening process used to select CAs
for the at-home call handling program;
(B) Copies of training materials provided to at-home CAs;
(C) Copies of written protocols used for CAs working from home;
(D) The total number of CAs handling VRS calls from at-home
workstations over the first six months of the program;
(E) The number of 911 calls handled by the provider's at-home
workstations;
(F) A description and copies of any surveys or evaluations taken of CAs
concerning their experience using at-home workstations and
participating in an at-home call handling program;
(G) The total number of CAs terminated from the program;
(H) The total number of complaints, if any, submitted to the provider
regarding its at-home call handling program or calls handled by at-home
CAs;
(I) The total number of on-site inspections conducted of at-home
workstations and the date and location of each inspection;
(J) A description of the monitoring technology used to monitor CAs
working at home and an analysis of the experience of supervisors
overseeing at-home CAs compared to overseeing CAs in a call center;
(K) Copies of any reports produced by tracking software and a
description explaining how the provider analyzed the reports for
anomalies; and
(L) Detailed documentation of costs incurred in the use of at-home
workstations, including any costs associated with CA recruitment,
training, and compensation, engineering and technical set-up (including
workstation set-up), and administrative and management support
(including oversight, evaluation, and recording).
(c) Functional standards—(1) Consumer complaint logs. (i) States and
interstate providers must maintain a log of consumer complaints
including all complaints about TRS in the state, whether filed with the
TRS provider or the State, and must retain the log until the next
application for certification is granted. The log shall include, at a
minimum, the date the complaint was filed, the nature of the complaint,
the date of resolution, and an explanation of the resolution.
(ii) Beginning July 1, 2002, states and TRS providers shall submit
summaries of logs indicating the number of complaints received for the
12-month period ending May 31 to the Commission by July 1 of each year.
Summaries of logs submitted to the Commission on July 1, 2001 shall
indicate the number of complaints received from the date of OMB
approval through May 31, 2001.
(2) Contact persons. Beginning on June 30, 2000, State TRS Programs,
interstate TRS providers, and TRS providers that have state contracts
must submit to the Commission a contact person and/or office for TRS
consumer information and complaints about a certified State TRS
Program's provision of intrastate TRS, or, as appropriate, about the
TRS provider's service. This submission must include, at a minimum, the
following:
(i) The name and address of the office that receives complaints,
grievances, inquiries, and suggestions;
(ii) Voice and TTY telephone numbers, fax number, e-mail address, and
web address; and
(iii) The physical address to which correspondence should be sent.
(3) Public access to information. Carriers, through publication in
their directories, periodic billing inserts, placement of TRS
instructions in telephone directories, through directory assistance
services, and incorporation of TTY numbers in telephone directories,
shall assure that callers in their service areas are aware of the
availability and use of all forms of TRS. Efforts to educate the public
about TRS should extend to all segments of the public, including
individuals who are hard of hearing, speech disabled, and senior
citizens as well as members of the general population. In addition,
each common carrier providing telephone voice transmission services
shall conduct, not later than October 1, 2001, ongoing education and
outreach programs that publicize the availability of 711 access to TRS
in a manner reasonably designed to reach the largest number of
consumers possible.
(4) Rates. TRS users shall pay rates no greater than the rates paid for
functionally equivalent voice communication services with respect to
such factors as the duration of the call, the time of day, and the
distance from the point of origination to the point of termination.
(5) Jurisdictional separation of costs—(i) General. Where appropriate,
costs of providing TRS shall be separated in accordance with the
jurisdictional separation procedures and standards set forth in the
Commission's regulations adopted pursuant to section 410 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended.
(ii) Cost recovery. Costs caused by interstate TRS shall be recovered
from all subscribers for every interstate service, utilizing a
shared-funding cost recovery mechanism. Except as noted in this
paragraph, with respect to VRS, costs caused by intrastate TRS shall be
recovered from the intrastate jurisdiction. In a state that has a
certified program under § 64.606, the state agency providing TRS shall,
through the state's regulatory agency, permit a common carrier to
recover costs incurred in providing TRS by a method consistent with the
requirements of this section. Costs caused by the provision of
interstate and intrastate VRS shall be recovered from all subscribers
for every interstate service, utilizing a shared-funding cost recovery
mechanism.
(iii) Telecommunications Relay Services Fund. Effective July 26, 1993,
an Interstate Cost Recovery Plan, hereinafter referred to as the TRS
Fund, shall be administered by an entity selected by the Commission
(administrator). The initial administrator, for an interim period, will
be the National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc.
(A) Contributions. Every carrier providing interstate
telecommunications services (including interconnected VoIP service
providers pursuant to § 64.601(b)) and every provider of
non-interconnected VoIP service shall contribute to the TRS Fund on the
basis of interstate end-user revenues as described herein.
Contributions shall be made by all carriers who provide interstate
services, including, but not limited to, cellular telephone and paging,
mobile radio, operator services, personal communications service (PCS),
access (including subscriber line charges), alternative access and
special access, packet-switched, WATS, 800, 900, message telephone
service (MTS), private line, telex, telegraph, video, satellite,
intraLATA, international and resale services.
(B) Contribution computations. Contributors' contributions to the TRS
fund shall be the product of their subject revenues for the prior
calendar year and a contribution factor determined annually by the
Commission. The contribution factor shall be based on the ratio between
expected TRS Fund expenses to the contributors' revenues subject to
contribution. In the event that contributions exceed TRS payments and
administrative costs, the contribution factor for the following year
will be adjusted by an appropriate amount, taking into consideration
projected cost and usage changes. In the event that contributions are
inadequate, the fund administrator may request authority from the
Commission to borrow funds commercially, with such debt secured by
future years' contributions. Each subject contributor that has revenues
subject to contribution must contribute at least $25 per year.
Contributors whose annual contributions total less than $1,200 must pay
the entire contribution at the beginning of the contribution period.
Contributors whose contributions total $1,200 or more may divide their
contributions into equal monthly payments. Contributors shall complete
and submit, and contributions shall be based on, a “Telecommunications
Reporting Worksheet” (as published by the Commission in the Federal
Register). The worksheet shall be certified to by an officer of the
contributor, and subject to verification by the Commission or the
administrator at the discretion of the Commission. Contributors'
statements in the worksheet shall be subject to the provisions of
section 220 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. The fund
administrator may bill contributors a separate assessment for
reasonable administrative expenses and interest resulting from improper
filing or overdue contributions. The Chief of the Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau may waive, reduce, modify or eliminate
contributor reporting requirements that prove unnecessary and require
additional reporting requirements that the Bureau deems necessary to
the sound and efficient administration of the TRS Fund.
(C) Registration Requirements for Providers of Non-Interconnected VoIP
Service—(1)Applicability. A non-interconnected VoIP service provider
that will provide interstate service that generates interstate end-user
revenue that is subject to contribution to the Telecommunications Relay
Service Fund shall file the registration information described in
paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) of this section in accordance with the
procedures described in paragraphs (c)(5)(iii)(C)(3) and
(c)(5)(iii)(C)(4) of this section. Any non-interconnected VoIP service
provider already providing interstate service that generates interstate
end-user revenue that is subject to contribution to the
Telecommunications Relay Service Fund on the effective date of these
rules shall submit the relevant portion of its FCC Form 499-A in
accordance with paragraphs (c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) and (3) of this section.
(2) Information required for purposes of TRS Fund contributions. A
non-interconnected VoIP service provider that is subject to the
registration requirement pursuant to paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C)(1) of
this section shall provide the following information:
(i) The provider's business name(s) and primary address;
(ii) The names and business addresses of the provider's chief executive
officer, chairman, and president, or, in the event that a provider does
not have such executives, three similarly senior-level officials of the
provider;
(iii) The provider's regulatory contact and/or designated agent;
(iv) All names that the provider has used in the past; and
(v) The state(s) in which the provider provides such service.
(3) Submission of registration. A provider that is subject to the
registration requirement pursuant to paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C)(1) of
this section shall submit the information described in paragraph
(c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) of this section in accordance with the Instructions
to FCC Form 499-A. FCC Form 499-A must be submitted under oath and
penalty of perjury.
(4) Changes in information. A provider must notify the Commission of
any changes to the information provided pursuant to paragraph
(c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) of this section within no more than one week of the
change. Providers may satisfy this requirement by filing the relevant
portion of FCC Form 499-A in accordance with the Instructions to such
form.
(D) Data collection and audits. (1) TRS providers seeking compensation
from the TRS Fund shall provide the administrator with true and
adequate data, and other historical, projected and state rate related
information reasonably requested to determine the TRS Fund revenue
requirements and payments. TRS providers shall provide the
administrator with the following: total TRS minutes of use, total
interstate TRS minutes of use, total TRS investment in general in
accordance with part 32 of this chapter, and other historical or
projected information reasonably requested by the administrator for
purposes of computing payments and revenue requirements.
(2) Call data required from all TRS providers. In addition to the data
requested by paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C)(1) of this section, TRS providers
seeking compensation from the TRS Fund shall submit the following
specific data associated with each TRS call for which compensation is
sought:
(i) The call record ID sequence;
(ii) CA ID number;
(iii) Session start and end times noted at a minimum to the nearest
second;
(iv) Conversation start and end times noted at a minimum to the nearest
second;
(v) Incoming telephone number and IP address (if call originates with
an IP-based device) at the time of the call;
(vi) Outbound telephone number (if call terminates to a telephone) and
IP address (if call terminates to an IP-based device) at the time of
call;
(vii) Total conversation minutes;
(viii) Total session minutes;
(ix) The call center (by assigned center ID number) that handled the
call; and
(x) The URL address through which the call is initiated.
(3) Additional call data required from Internet-based Relay Providers.
In addition to the data required by paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) of this
section, Internet-based Relay Providers seeking compensation from the
Fund shall submit speed of answer compliance data.
(4) Providers submitting call record and speed of answer data in
compliance with paragraphs (c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) and (c)(5)(iii)(C)(3) of
this section shall:
(i) Employ an automated record keeping system to capture such data
required pursuant to paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(C)(2) of this section for
each TRS call for which minutes are submitted to the fund administrator
for compensation; and
(ii) Submit such data electronically, in a standardized format. For
purposes of this subparagraph, an automated record keeping system is a
system that captures data in a computerized and electronic format that
does not allow human intervention during the call session for either
conversation or session time.
(5) Certification. The chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial
officer (CFO), or other senior executive of a TRS provider with first
hand knowledge of the accuracy and completeness of the information
provided, when submitting a request for compensation from the TRS Fund
must, with each such request, certify as follows:
I swear under penalty of perjury that:
(i) I am ______ (name and title)______, an officer of the above-named
reporting entity and that I have examined the foregoing reports and
that all requested information has been provided and all statements of
fact, as well as all cost and demand data contained in this Relay
Services Data Request, are true and accurate; and
(ii) The TRS calls for which compensation is sought were handled in
compliance with Section 225 of the Communications Act and the
Commission's rules and orders, and are not the result of impermissible
financial incentives or payments to generate calls.
(6) Audits. The fund administrator and the Commission, including the
Office of Inspector General, shall have the authority to examine and
verify TRS provider data as necessary to assure the accuracy and
integrity of TRS Fund payments. TRS providers must submit to audits
annually or at times determined appropriate by the Commission, the fund
administrator, or by an entity approved by the Commission for such
purpose. A TRS provider that fails to submit to a requested audit, or
fails to provide documentation necessary for verification upon
reasonable request, will be subject to an automatic suspension of
payment until it submits to the requested audit or provides sufficient
documentation.
(7) Call data record retention. Internet-based TRS providers shall
retain the data required to be submitted by this section, and all other
call detail records, other records that support their claims for
payment from the TRS Fund, and records used to substantiate the costs
and expense data submitted in the annual relay service data request
form, in an electronic format that is easily retrievable, for a minimum
of five years.
(E) Payments to TRS providers. (1) 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. The formulas
should appropriately compensate interstate providers for the provision
of TRS, whether intrastate or interstate.
(2) 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.
(3) 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.
(4) 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 TRS
Fund 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 47 CFR parts 32 and 36 procedures reasonably
tailored to meet the needs of TRS providers.
(5) 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.
(6) The administrator shall not be obligated to pay any request for
compensation until it has been established as compensable. A request
shall be established as compensable only after the administrator, in
consultation with the Commission, or the Commission determines that the
provider has met its burden to demonstrate that the claim is
compensable under applicable Commission rules and the procedures
established by the administrator. Any request for compensation for
which payment has been suspended or withheld in accordance with
paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(L) of this section shall not be established as
compensable until the administrator, in consultation with the
Commission, or the Commission determines that the request is
compensable in accordance with paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(L)(4) of this
section.
(F) Eligibility for payment from the TRS Fund. (1) TRS providers,
except Internet-based TRS providers, eligible for receiving payments
from the TRS Fund must be:
(i) TRS facilities operated under contract with and/or by certified
state TRS programs pursuant to § 64.606; or
(ii) TRS facilities owned or operated under contract with a common
carrier providing interstate services operated pursuant to this
section; or
(iii) Interstate common carriers offering TRS pursuant to this section.
(2) Internet-based TRS providers eligible for receiving payments from
the TRS fund must be certified by the Commission pursuant to § 64.606.
(G) Any eligible TRS provider as defined in paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(F) of
this section shall notify the administrator of its intent to
participate in the TRS Fund thirty (30) days prior to submitting
reports of TRS interstate minutes of use in order to receive payment
settlements for interstate TRS, and failure to file may exclude the TRS
provider from eligibility for the year.
(H) Administrator reporting, monitoring, and filing requirements. The
administrator shall perform all filing and reporting functions required
in paragraphs (c)(5)(iii)(A) through (c)(5)(iii)(J) of this section.
TRS payment formulas and revenue requirements shall be filed with the
Commission on May 1 of each year, to be effective the following July 1.
The administrator shall report annually to the Commission an
itemization of monthly administrative costs which shall consist of all
expenses, receipts, and payments associated with the administration of
the TRS Fund. The administrator is required to keep the TRS Fund
separate from all other funds administered by the administrator, shall
file a cost allocation manual (CAM) and shall provide the Commission
full access to all data collected pursuant to the administration of the
TRS Fund. The administrator shall account for the financial
transactions of the TRS Fund in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles for federal agencies and maintain the accounts of
the TRS Fund in accordance with the United States Government Standard
General Ledger. When the administrator, or any independent auditor
hired by the administrator, conducts audits of providers of services
under the TRS program or contributors to the TRS Fund, such audits
shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted government
auditing standards. In administering the TRS Fund, the administrator
shall also comply with all relevant and applicable federal financial
management and reporting statutes. The administrator shall establish a
non-paid voluntary advisory committee of persons from the hearing and
speech disability community, TRS users (voice and text telephone),
interstate service providers, state representatives, and TRS providers,
which will meet at reasonable intervals (at least semi-annually) in
order to monitor TRS cost recovery matters. Each group shall select its
own representative to the committee. The administrator's annual report
shall include a discussion of the advisory committee deliberations.
(I) Information filed with the administrator. The Chief Executive
Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), or other senior executive
of a provider submitting minutes to the Fund for compensation must, in
each instance, certify, under penalty of perjury, that the minutes were
handled in compliance with section 225 and the Commission's rules and
orders, and are not the result of impermissible financial incentives or
payments to generate calls. The CEO, CFO, or other senior executive of
a provider submitting cost and demand data to the TRS Fund
administrator shall certify under penalty of perjury that such
information is true and correct. The administrator shall keep all data
obtained from contributors and TRS providers confidential and shall not
disclose such data in company-specific form unless directed to do so by
the Commission. Subject to any restrictions imposed by the Chief of the
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, the TRS Fund administrator
may share data obtained from carriers with the administrators of the
universal support mechanisms (see § 54.701 of this chapter), the North
American Numbering Plan administration cost recovery (see § 52.16 of
this chapter), and the long-term local number portability cost recovery
(see § 52.32 of this chapter). The TRS Fund administrator shall keep
confidential all data obtained from other administrators. The
administrator shall not use such data except for purposes of
administering the TRS Fund, calculating the regulatory fees of
interstate common carriers, and aggregating such fee payments for
submission to the Commission. The Commission shall have access to all
data reported to the administrator, and authority to audit TRS
providers. Contributors may make requests for Commission nondisclosure
of company-specific revenue information under § 0.459 of this chapter by
so indicating on the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet at the time
that the subject data are submitted. The Commission shall make all
decisions regarding nondisclosure of company-specific information.
(J) [Reserved]
(K) All parties providing services or contributions or receiving
payments under this section are subject to the enforcement provisions
specified in the Communications Act, the Americans with Disabilities
Act, and the Commission's rules.
(L) Procedures for the suspension/withholding of payment. (1) The Fund
administrator will continue the current practice of reviewing monthly
requests for compensation of TRS minutes of use within two months after
they are filed with the Fund administrator.
(2) If the Fund administrator in consultation with the Commission, or
the Commission on its own accord, determines that payments for certain
minutes should be withheld, a TRS provider will be notified within two
months from the date for the request for compensation was filed, as to
why its claim for compensation has been withheld in whole or in part.
TRS providers then will be given two additional months from the date of
notification to provide additional justification for payment of such
minutes of use. Such justification should be sufficiently detailed to
provide the Fund administrator and the Commission the information
needed to evaluate whether the minutes of use in dispute are
compensable. If a TRS provider does not respond, or does not respond
with sufficiently detailed information within two months after
notification that payment for minutes of use is being withheld, payment
for the minutes of use in dispute will be denied permanently.
(3) If, the TRS provider submits additional justification for payment
of the minutes of use in dispute within two months after being notified
that its initial justification was insufficient, the Fund administrator
or the Commission will review such additional justification
documentation, and may ask further questions or conduct further
investigation to evaluate whether to pay the TRS provider for the
minutes of use in dispute, within eight months after submission of such
additional justification.
(4) If the provider meets its burden to establish that the minutes in
question are compensable under the Commission's rules, the Fund
administrator will compensate the provider for such minutes of use. Any
payment by the Commission will not preclude any future action by either
the Commission or the U.S. Department of Justice to recover past
payments (regardless of whether the payment was the subject of
withholding) if it is determined at any time that such payment was for
minutes billed to the Commission in violation of the Commission's rules
or any other civil or criminal law.
(5) If the Commission determines that the provider has not met its
burden to demonstrate that the minutes of use in dispute are
compensable under the Commission's rules, payment will be permanently
denied. The Fund administrator or the Commission will notify the
provider of this decision within one year of the initial request for
payment.
(6) If the VRS provider submits a waiver request asserting exigent
circumstances affecting one or more call centers that will make it
highly improbable that the VRS provider will meet the speed-of-answer
standard for call attempts occurring in a period of time identified by
beginning and ending dates, the Fund administrator shall not withhold
TRS Fund payments for a VRS provider's failure to meet the
speed-of-answer standard during the identified period of time while the
waiver request is under review by the Commission. In the event that the
waiver request is denied, the speed-of-answer requirement is not met,
and payment has been made to the provider from the TRS Fund for the
identified period of time or a portion thereof, the provider shall
return such payment to the TRS Fund for any period of time when the
speed-of-answer requirement was not met.
(M) Whistleblower protections. Providers shall not take any reprisal in
the form of a personnel action against any current or former employee
or contractor who discloses to a designated manager of the provider,
the Commission, the TRS Fund administrator or to any Federal or state
law enforcement entity, any information that the reporting person
reasonably believes evidences known or suspected violations of the
Communications Act or TRS regulations, or any other activity that the
reporting person reasonably believes constitutes waste, fraud, or
abuse, or that otherwise could result in the improper billing of
minutes of use to the TRS Fund and discloses that information to a
designated manager of the provider, the Commission, the TRS Fund
administrator or to any Federal or state law enforcement entity.
Providers shall provide an accurate and complete description of these
TRS whistleblower protections, including the right to notify the FCC's
Office of Inspector General or its Enforcement Bureau, to all employees
and contractors, in writing. Providers that already disseminate their
internal business policies to its employees in writing (e.g. in
employee handbooks, policies and procedures manuals, or bulletin board
postings—either online or in hard copy) must include an accurate and
complete description of these TRS whistleblower protections in those
written materials.
(N) In addition to the provisions set forth above, VRS providers shall
be subject to the following provisions:
(1) Eligibility for reimbursement from the TRS Fund. (i) Only an
eligible VRS provider, as defined in paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(F) of this
section, may hold itself out to the general public as providing VRS.
(ii) VRS service must be offered under the name by which the eligible
VRS provider offering such service became certified and in a manner
that clearly identifies that provider of the service. Where a TRS
provider also utilizes sub-brands to identify its VRS, each sub-brand
must clearly identify the eligible VRS provider. Providers must route
all VRS calls through a single URL address used for each name or
sub-brand used.
(iii) An eligible VRS provider may not contract with or otherwise
authorize any third party to provide interpretation services or call
center functions (including call distribution, call routing, call
setup, mapping, call features, billing, and registration) on its
behalf, unless that authorized third party also is an eligible
provider.
(iv) To the extent that an eligible VRS provider contracts with or
otherwise authorizes a third party to provide any other services or
functions related to the provision of VRS other than interpretation
services or call center functions, that third party must not hold
itself out as a provider of VRS, and must clearly identify the eligible
VRS provider to the public. To the extent an eligible VRS provider
contracts with or authorizes a third party to provide any services or
functions related to marketing or outreach, and such services utilize
VRS, those VRS minutes are not compensable on a per minute basis from
the TRS fund.
(v) All third-party contracts or agreements entered into by an eligible
provider must be in writing. Copies of such agreements shall be made
available to the Commission and to the TRS Fund administrator upon
request.
(2) Call center reports. VRS providers shall file a written report with
the Commission and the TRS Fund administrator, on April 1st and October
1st of each year for each call center that handles VRS calls that the
provider owns or controls, including centers located outside of the
United States, that includes:
(i) The complete street address of the center;
(ii) The number of individual CAs and CA managers; and
(iii) The name and contact information (phone number and e-mail
address) of the manager(s) at the center. VRS providers shall also file
written notification with the Commission and the TRS Fund administrator
of any change in a center's location, including the opening, closing,
or relocation of any center, at least 30 days prior to any such change.
(3) Compensation of CAs. VRS providers may not compensate, give a
preferential work schedule or otherwise benefit a CA in any manner that
is based upon the number of VRS minutes or calls that the CA relays,
either individually or as part of a group.
(4) Remote training session calls. VRS calls to a remote training
session or a comparable activity will not be compensable from the TRS
Fund when the provider submitting minutes for such a call has been
involved, in any manner, with such a training session. Such prohibited
involvement includes training programs or comparable activities in
which the provider or any affiliate or related party thereto, including
but not limited to its subcontractors, partners, employees or
sponsoring organizations or entities, has any role in arranging,
scheduling, sponsoring, hosting, conducting or promoting such programs
or activities.
(6) Complaints—(i) Referral of complaint. If a complaint to the
Commission alleges a violation of this subpart with respect to
intrastate TRS within a state and certification of the program of such
state under § 64.606 is in effect, the Commission shall refer such
complaint to such state expeditiously.
(ii) Intrastate complaints shall be resolved by the state within 180
days after the complaint is first filed with a state entity, regardless
of whether it is filed with the state relay administrator, a state PUC,
the relay provider, or with any other state entity.
(iii) Jurisdiction of Commission. After referring a complaint to a
state entity under paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section, or if a
complaint is filed directly with a state entity, the Commission shall
exercise jurisdiction over such complaint only if:
(A) Final action under such state program has not been taken within:
(1) 180 days after the complaint is filed with such state entity; or
(2) A shorter period as prescribed by the regulations of such state; or
(B) The Commission determines that such state program is no longer
qualified for certification under § 64.606.
(iv) The Commission shall resolve within 180 days after the complaint
is filed with the Commission any interstate TRS complaint alleging a
violation of section 225 of the Act or any complaint involving
intrastate relay services in states without a certified program. The
Commission shall resolve intrastate complaints over which it exercises
jurisdiction under paragraph (c)(6)(iii) of this section within 180
days.
(v) Complaint procedures. Complaints against TRS providers for alleged
violations of this subpart may be either informal or formal.
(A) Informal complaints—(1) Form. An informal complaint may be
transmitted to the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau by any
reasonable means, such as letter, facsimile transmission, telephone
(voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, or some other method that would best
accommodate a complainant's hearing or speech disability.
(2) Content. An informal complaint shall include the name and address
of the complainant; the name and address of the TRS provider against
whom the complaint is made; a statement of facts supporting the
complainant's allegation that the TRS provided it has violated or is
violating section 225 of the Act and/or requirements under the
Commission's rules; the specific relief or satisfaction sought by the
complainant; and the complainant's preferred format or method of
response to the complaint by the Commission and the defendant TRS
provider (such as letter, facsimile transmission, telephone
(voice/TRS/TTY), Internet e-mail, or some other method that would best
accommodate the complainant's hearing or speech disability).
(3) Service; designation of agents. The Commission shall promptly
forward any complaint meeting the requirements of this subsection to
the TRS provider named in the complaint. Such TRS provider shall be
called upon to satisfy or answer the complaint within the time
specified by the Commission. Every TRS provider shall file with the
Commission a statement designating an agent or agents whose principal
responsibility will be to receive all complaints, inquiries, orders,
decisions, and notices and other pronouncements forwarded by the
Commission. Such designation shall include a name or department
designation, business address, telephone number (voice and TTY),
facsimile number and, if available, internet e-mail address.
(B) Review and disposition of informal complaints. (1) Where it appears
from the TRS provider's answer, or from other communications with the
parties, that an informal complaint has been satisfied, the Commission
may, in its discretion, consider the matter closed without response to
the complainant or defendant. In all other cases, the Commission shall
inform the parties of its review and disposition of a complaint filed
under this subpart. Where practicable, this information shall be
transmitted to the complainant and defendant in the manner requested by
the complainant (e.g., letter, facsmile transmission, telephone
(voice/TRS/TTY) or Internet e-mail.
(2) A complainant unsatisfied with the defendant's response to the
informal complaint and the staff's decision to terminate action on the
informal complaint may file a formal complaint with the Commission
pursuant to paragraph (c)(6)(v)(C) of this section.
(C) Formal complaints. A formal complaint shall be in writing,
addressed to the Federal Communications Commission, Enforcement Bureau,
Telecommunications Consumer Division, Washington, DC 20554 and shall
contain:
(1) The name and address of the complainant,
(2) The name and address of the defendant against whom the complaint is
made,
(3) A complete statement of the facts, including supporting data, where
available, showing that such defendant did or omitted to do anything in
contravention of this subpart, and
(4) The relief sought.
(D) Amended complaints. An amended complaint setting forth
transactions, occurrences or events which have happened since the
filing of the original complaint and which relate to the original cause
of action may be filed with the Commission.
(E) Number of copies. An original and two copies of all pleadings shall
be filed.
(F) Service. (1) Except where a complaint is referred to a state
pursuant to § 64.604(c)(6)(i), or where a complaint is filed directly
with a state entity, the Commission will serve on the named party a
copy of any complaint or amended complaint filed with it, together with
a notice of the filing of the complaint. Such notice shall call upon
the defendant to satisfy or answer the complaint in writing within the
time specified in said notice of complaint.
(2) All subsequent pleadings and briefs shall be served by the filing
party on all other parties to the proceeding in accordance with the
requirements of § 1.47 of this chapter. Proof of such service shall also
be made in accordance with the requirements of said section.
(G) Answers to complaints and amended complaints. Any party upon whom a
copy of a complaint or amended complaint is served under this subpart
shall serve an answer within the time specified by the Commission in
its notice of complaint. The answer shall advise the parties and the
Commission fully and completely of the nature of the defense and shall
respond specifically to all material allegations of the complaint. In
cases involving allegations of harm, the answer shall indicate what
action has been taken or is proposed to be taken to stop the occurrence
of such harm. Collateral or immaterial issues shall be avoided in
answers and every effort should be made to narrow the issues. Matters
alleged as affirmative defenses shall be separately stated and
numbered. Any defendant failing to file and serve an answer within the
time and in the manner prescribed may be deemed in default.
(H) Replies to answers or amended answers. Within 10 days after service
of an answer or an amended answer, a complainant may file and serve a
reply which shall be responsive to matters contained in such answer or
amended answer and shall not contain new matter. Failure to reply will
not be deemed an admission of any allegation contained in such answer
or amended answer.
(I) Defective pleadings. Any pleading filed in a complaint proceeding
that is not in substantial conformity with the requirements of the
applicable rules in this subpart may be dismissed.
(7) Treatment of TRS customer information. Beginning on July 21, 2000,
all future contracts between the TRS administrator and the TRS vendor
shall provide for the transfer of TRS customer profile data from the
outgoing TRS vendor to the incoming TRS vendor. Such data must be
disclosed in usable form at least 60 days prior to the provider's last
day of service provision. Such data may not be used for any purpose
other than to connect the TRS user with the called parties desired by
that TRS user. Such information shall not be sold, distributed, shared
or revealed in any other way by the relay center or its employees,
unless compelled to do so by lawful order.
(8) Incentives for use of IP CTS. (i) An IP CTS provider shall not
offer or provide to any person or entity that registers to use IP CTS
any form of direct or indirect incentives, financial or otherwise, to
register for or use IP CTS.
(ii) An IP CTS provider shall not offer or provide to a hearing health
professional any direct or indirect incentives, financial or otherwise,
that are tied to a consumer's decision to register for or use IP CTS.
Where an IP CTS provider offers or provides IP CTS equipment, directly
or indirectly, to a hearing health professional, and such professional
makes or has the opportunity to make a profit on the sale of the
equipment to consumers, such IP CTS provider shall be deemed to be
offering or providing a form of incentive tied to a consumer's decision
to register for or use IP CTS.
(iii) Joint marketing arrangements between IP CTS providers and hearing
health professionals shall be prohibited.
(iv) For the purpose of this paragraph (c)(8), a hearing health
professional is any medical or non-medical professional who advises
consumers with regard to hearing disabilities.
(v) Any IP CTS provider that does not comply with this paragraph (c)(8)
shall be ineligible for compensation for such IP CTS from the TRS Fund.
(9) IP CTS registration and certification requirements. (i) IP CTS
providers must first obtain the following registration information from
each consumer prior to requesting compensation from the TRS Fund for
service provided to the consumer. The consumer's full name, date of
birth, last four digits of the consumer's social security number,
address and telephone number.
(ii) Self-certification prior to August 28, 2014. IP CTS providers, in
order to be eligible to receive compensation from the TRS Fund for
providing IP CTS, also must first obtain a written certification from
the consumer, and if obtained prior to August 28, 2014, such written
certification shall attest that the consumer needs IP CTS to
communicate in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability
of a hearing individual to communicate using voice communication
services. The certification must include the consumer's certification
that:
(A) The consumer has a hearing loss that necessitates IP CTS to
communicate in a manner that is functionally equivalent to
communication by conventional voice telephone users;
(B) The consumer understands that the captioning service is provided by
a live communications assistant; and
(C) The consumer understands that the cost of IP CTS is funded by the
TRS Fund.
(iii) Self-certification on or after August 28, 2014. IP CTS providers
must also first obtain from each consumer prior to requesting
compensation from the TRS Fund for the consumer, a written
certification from the consumer, and if obtained on or after August 28,
2014, such certification shall state that:
(A) The consumer has a hearing loss that necessitates use of captioned
telephone service;
(B) The consumer understands that the captioning on captioned telephone
service is provided by a live communications assistant who listens to
the other party on the line and provides the text on the captioned
phone;
(C) The consumer understands that the cost of captioning each Internet
protocol captioned telephone call is funded through a federal program;
and
(D) The consumer will not permit, to the best of the consumer's
ability, persons who have not registered to use Internet protocol
captioned telephone service to make captioned telephone calls on the
consumer's registered IP captioned telephone service or device.
(iv) The certification required by paragraphs (c)(9)(ii) and (iii) of
this section must be made on a form separate from any other agreement
or form, and must include a separate consumer signature specific to the
certification. Beginning on August 28, 2014, such certification shall
be made under penalty of perjury. For purposes of this rule, an
electronic signature, defined by the Electronic Signatures in Global
and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq., as an electronic
sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a
contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the
intent to sign the record, has the same legal effect as a written
signature.
(v) Third-party certification prior to August 28, 2014. Where IP CTS
equipment is or has been obtained by a consumer from an IP CTS
provider, directly or indirectly, at no charge or for less than $75 and
the consumer was registered in accordance with the requirements of
paragraph (c)(9) of this section prior to August 28, 2014, the IP CTS
provider must also obtain from each consumer prior to requesting
compensation from the TRS Fund for the consumer, written certification
provided and signed by an independent third-party professional, except
as provided in paragraph (c)(9)(xi) of this section.
(vi) To comply with paragraph (c)(9)(v) of this section, the
independent professional providing certification must:
(A) Be qualified to evaluate an individual's hearing loss in accordance
with applicable professional standards, and may include, but are not
limited to, community-based social service providers, hearing related
professionals, vocational rehabilitation counselors, occupational
therapists, social workers, educators, audiologists, speech
pathologists, hearing instrument specialists, and doctors, nurses and
other medical or health professionals;
(B) Provide his or her name, title, and contact information, including
address, telephone number, and email address; and
(C) Certify in writing that the IP CTS user is an individual with
hearing loss who needs IP CTS to communicate in a manner that is
functionally equivalent to telephone service experienced by individuals
without hearing disabilities.
(vii) Third-party certification on or after August 28, 2014. Where IP
CTS equipment is or has been obtained by a consumer from an IP CTS
provider, directly or indirectly, at no charge or for less than $75,
the consumer (in cases where the equipment was obtained directly from
the IP CTS provider) has not subsequently paid $75 to the IP CTS
provider for the equipment prior to the date the consumer is registered
to use IP CTS, and the consumer is registered in accordance with the
requirements of paragraph (c)(9) of this section on or after August 28,
2014, the IP CTS provider must also, prior to requesting compensation
from the TRS Fund for service to the consumer, obtain from each
consumer written certification provided and signed by an independent
third-party professional, except as provided in paragraph (c)(9)(xi) of
this section.
(viii) To comply with paragraph (c)(9)(vii) of this section, the
independent third-party professional providing certification must:
(A) Be qualified to evaluate an individual's hearing loss in accordance
with applicable professional standards, and must be either a physician,
audiologist, or other hearing related professional. Such professional
shall not have been referred to the IP CTS user, either directly or
indirectly, by any provider of TRS or any officer, director, partner,
employee, agent, subcontractor, or sponsoring organization or entity
(collectively “affiliate”) of any TRS provider. Nor shall the third
party professional making such certification have any business, family
or social relationship with the TRS provider or any affiliate of the
TRS provider from which the consumer is receiving or will receive
service.
(B) Provide his or her name, title, and contact information, including
address, telephone number, and email address.
(C) Certify in writing, under penalty of perjury, that the IP CTS user
is an individual with hearing loss that necessitates use of captioned
telephone service and that the third party professional understands
that the captioning on captioned telephone service is provided by a
live communications assistant and is funded through a federal program.
(ix) In instances where the consumer has obtained IP CTS equipment from
a local, state, or federal governmental program, the consumer may
present documentation to the IP CTS provider demonstrating that the
equipment was obtained through one of these programs, in lieu of
providing an independent, third-party certification under paragraphs
(c)(9)(v) and (vii) of this section.
(x) Each IP CTS provider shall maintain records of any registration and
certification information for a period of at least five years after the
consumer ceases to obtain service from the provider and shall maintain
the confidentiality of such registration and certification information,
and may not disclose such registration and certification information or
the content of such registration and certification information except
as required by law or regulation.
(xi) IP CTS providers must obtain registration information and
certification of hearing loss from all IP CTS users who began receiving
service prior to March 7, 2013, within 180 days following August 28,
2014. Notwithstanding any other provision of paragraph (c)(9) of this
section, IP CTS providers shall be compensated for compensable minutes
of use generated prior to February 24, 2015 by any such users, but
shall not receive compensation for minutes of IP CTS use generated on
or after February 24, 2015 by any IP CTS user who has not been
registered.
(10) IP CTS settings. Each IP CTS provider shall ensure that each IP
CTS telephone they distribute, directly or indirectly, shall include a
button, icon, or other comparable feature that is easily operable and
requires only one step for the consumer to turn on captioning.
(11)(i)[Reserved]
(ii) No person shall use IP CTS equipment or software with the
captioning on, unless:
(A) Such person is registered to use IP CTS pursuant to paragraph
(c)(9) of this section; or
(B) Such person was an existing IP CTS user as of March 7, 2013, and
either paragraph (c)(9)(xi) of this section is not yet in effect or the
registration deadline in paragraph (c)(9)(xi) of this section has not
yet passed.
(iii) IP CTS providers shall ensure that any newly distributed IP CTS
equipment has a label on its face in a conspicuous location with the
following language in a clearly legible font: “FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS
ANYONE BUT REGISTERED USERS WITH HEARING LOSS FROM USING THIS DEVICE
WITH THE CAPTIONS ON.” For IP CTS equipment already distributed to
consumers by any IP CTS provider as of July 11, 2014, such provider
shall, no later than August 11, 2014, distribute to consumers equipment
labels with the same language as mandated by this paragraph for newly
distributed equipment, along with clear and specific instructions
directing the consumer to attach such labels to the face of their IP
CTS equipment in a conspicuous location. For software applications on
mobile phones, laptops, tablets, computers or other similar devices, IP
CTS providers shall ensure that, each time the consumer logs into the
application, the notification language required by this paragraph
appears in a conspicuous location on the device screen immediately
after log-in.
(iv) IP CTS providers shall maintain, with each consumer's registration
records, records describing any IP CTS equipment provided, directly or
indirectly, to such consumer, stating the amount paid for such
equipment, and stating whether the label required by paragraph
(c)(11)(iii) of this section was affixed to such equipment prior to its
provision to the consumer. For consumers to whom IP CTS equipment was
provided directly or indirectly prior to the effective date of this
paragraph (c)(11), such records shall state whether and when the label
required by paragraph (c)(11)(iii) of this section was distributed to
such consumer. Such records shall be maintained for a minimum period of
five years after the consumer ceases to obtain service from the
provider.
(12) Discrimination and preferences. A VRS provider shall not:
(i) Directly or indirectly, by any means or device, engage in any
unjust or unreasonable discrimination related to practices, facilities,
or services for or in connection with like relay service,
(ii) Engage in or give any undue or unreasonable preference or
advantage to any particular person, class of persons, or locality, or
(ii) Subject any particular person, class of persons, or locality to
any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage.
(13) Unauthorized and unnecessary use of VRS. A VRS provider shall not
engage in any practice that causes or encourages, or that the provider
knows or has reason to know will cause or encourage:
(i) False or unverified claims for TRS Fund compensation,
(ii) Unauthorized use of VRS,
(iii) The making of VRS calls that would not otherwise be made, or
(iv) The use of VRS by persons who do not need the service in order to
communicate in a functionally equivalent manner. A VRS provider shall
not seek payment from the TRS Fund for any minutes of service it knows
or has reason to know are resulting from such practices. Any VRS
provider that becomes aware of such practices being or having been
committed by any person shall as soon as practicable report such
practices to the Commission or the TRS Fund administrator.
(14) TRS calls requiring the use of multiple CAs. The following types
of calls that require multiple CAs for their handling are compensable
from the TRS Fund:
(i) VCO-to-VCO calls between multiple captioned telephone relay service
users, multiple IP CTS users, or captioned telephone relay service
users and IP CTS users;
(ii) Calls between captioned telephone relay service or IP CTS users
and TTY service users; and
(iii) Calls between captioned telephone relay service or IP CTS users
and VRS users.
(d) Other standards. The applicable requirements of § § 64.605, 64.611,
64.615, 64.617, 64.621, 64.631, 64.632, 64.5105, 64.5107, 64.5108,
64.5109, and 64.5110 of this part are to be considered mandatory
minimum standards.
[ 65 FR 38436 , June 21, 2000]
Editorial Note: For Federal Register citations affecting § 64.604, see
the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids
section of the printed volume and at www.fdsys.gov.
Effective Date Note: At 82 FR 17762 , Apr. 13, 2017, § 64.604 was amended
in parts by revising paragraph (b)(4)(iii) and adding (b)(8). These
paragraphs contain information collection and recordkeeping
requirements and will not become effective until approval has been
given by the Office of Management and Budget.
return arrow Back to Top
Goto Section: 64.603 | 64.605
Goto Year: 2016 |
2018
CiteFind - See documents on FCC website that
cite this rule
Want to support this service?
Thanks!
Report errors in
this rule. Since these rules are converted to HTML by machine, it's possible errors have been made. Please
help us improve these rules by clicking the Report FCC Rule Errors link to report an error.
hallikainen.com
Helping make public information public