From: Karen Peltz Strauss, RERC-TA
Re: TRS Cost Recovery Order

Date: July 1,2003

1. TRS Cost Recovery Order - Yesterday, the FCC released an Order setting new rates for traditional relay services, IP relay services, speech to speech relay services and video relay services(VRS). Generally NECA recommends a rate for relay services to the Commission and the rates are thenapproved by the FCC. In yesterday's Order, the FCC approved NECA's recommended rates for traditional relay services, IP relay services, and speech to speech relay services. Butthe Commission slashed NECA's recommended rate for VRS from a proposed rate of $14.02 per minute to an interim rate of $7.75 per minute. The Order asserts that the rate for VRS over the past year ($17.04) more than tripled the rate 2 years before, and is at odds with the waivers granted for this service. The Order also suggests thatVRS is the same as video relay interpreting; yetthe latter is far cheaper. It is not clear what effect the Order will have on the future of VRS. The url for the Order is below.

IN THE MATTER OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES AND SPEECH-TO-SPEECH SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING AND SPEECH DISABILITIES.
Approved, on an interim basis, the proposed TRS provider compensation
rates for traditional TRS and IP Relay, as well as for STS. Modified the
proposed TRS compensation rate for VRS by establishing an interim cost
recovery rate of $7.751 per-minute. (Dkt No. 98-67). Action by:
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau. Adopted: 06/27/2003 by ORDER.
(DA No. 03-2111). CGB

<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-2111A1.doc>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-2111A1.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-2111A1.txt>

Back to home page