FCC Seeks Comment on Petition filed by Communication Service for the Deaf

Comments due:  June 5, 2023

Reply comments due:  June 20, 2023

On May 5, 2023, the FCC released a Public Notice seeking comment on a petition filed by Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) requesting a declaratory ruling that direct video calling service (DVC) is eligible for support from the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund.  The petition states that DVC “is a modern broadband technology that enables the most accurate, private, and efficient video communications in real-time between American Sign Language (ASL) users who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind or have speech disabilities and customer service representatives in business and government call centers.”  Without TRS Fund support, the petition argues, DVC may “never achieve its full potential for its intended community of users.”

Interested parties may file comments by accessing the Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings.  All filings must reference CG Docket Nos. 10-51 and 03-123.  People with disabilities who need assistance to file comments online may request assistance by email to FCC504@fcc.gov. 

Link to the Public Notice:

URL: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-comment-petition-communication-service-deaf

Link to the CSD Petition:

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/103310754209479/1

General information regarding DVC is available at: www.fcc.gov/dvc; and for TRS at www.fcc.gov/trs.  For further information, please contact Bill Wallace, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, (202) 418-2716, or by email to William.Wallace@fcc.gov.  Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at 844-432-2275 (videophone).