JClarke

Ahh, that makes sense now

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Chevy57

You may go to NAD in Silver Spring, MD on June 26


The demonstration, to occur at the National Association of the Deaf headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, will exhibit a technology solution that is relatively inexpensive and quick to implement for any relay provider.

"Delivering 10-digit numbering is a critical step in providing relay users with functionally equivalent calling services and essential emergency calling (e911) access which together have thus far been denied to online relay users," said Kelby Brick, vice president of regulatory and strategic policy for GoAmerica, which provides relay services under the Hands On VRS(R), i711.com(R), and IP-Relay(TM) brands. "We applaud the FCC ruling which demonstrates a commitment to ensure that relay users will enjoy the same level of accessibility and safety that hearing users have had for years."

"A hundred years ago the U.S. concluded that telephone networks for hearing persons should be interconnected to ensure easy calling between telephone users, regardless of their chosen telephone network," said David Huntley, Senior Vice President of Customer Information Services at AT&T. "In the same way -- and for the first time -- relay providers are agreeing to interconnect their networks, effectively advancing the same convenience for deaf and hard of hearing callers."

About Ten-Digit Numbering

As described in yesterday's FCC ruling, ten-digit numbering offers to deaf and hard of hearing relay users a real, ten-digit number that can be dialed from any voice telephone to reach the intended relay user. These numbers are critical in providing users access to emergency calling services through 911. Real 10-digit numbers provided through this solution are accessible by callers from any relay provider that shares access to its user directory.

"Real ten-digit numbers eliminate the cumbersome dialing instructions and procedures required to make voice-to-video calls today," added Brick. "If a hearing person wants to call me on my videophone, he just dials my number the same as he would for any other call. The ten-digit number will work for everyone -- deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people -- and with any participating device or service."

Broad Consumer Support

"Every relay provider should take active steps to ensure that their services are fully accessible for the community they serve," said Nancy Bloch, executive director of the National Association of the Deaf. "I congratulate the AT&T and GoAmerica for moving ahead aggressively to establish this accessibility."

"It's encouraging to see group efforts to jumpstart the process to establish a telephone numbering system which will enable consumers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-disabled, to have access to enhanced 911 services," said Sheri Farinha-Mutti, CEO of the NorCal Center on Deafness. "Lives are at stake, and we can't afford to wait."

Ms. Bloch and Ms. Farinha-Mutti will each take part in the 10-digit number demonstration.

Demonstration, Pricing, and Availability

GoAmerica and AT&T will demonstrate the 10-digit numbering solution on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at the headquarters of the National Association of the Deaf at 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 820 in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The demo will show two 10-digit video calls. First, Sheri Farinha-Mutti will receive a call from a hearing caller through a 10-digit number. Then, Ms. Farinha-Mutti and Nancy Bloch, each a customer of a different VRS provider, will connect through a video-to-video call using a 10-digit number.

GoAmerica anticipates it will begin distributing local 10-digit numbers to relay users for free in July.

Etoile

That was last week though!

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JClarke

It's 1st July here

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Chevy57

right, too late. You can contact Ed Bosson, pioneer of VRS.
Ed’s Telecom Alert » The FCC Rule & Order for TN and Emergency Access

Chevy57

I will find out about it tomorrow. I have business meeting with Hovrs tomorrow.

Boult

You know, Etoile, there's VIOP and many are able to make phone call using a telephone over the internet via Vonage - VoIP Internet Phone Service for Home, Business and International Calling: Vonage – A Better Way to Phone for Less or any particular company... so they require equipment in addition to modem to send and receive phone call.

Like hearing can do with Skype official website – free download and free calls and internet calls or Gizmo5 Mobile via their computer desktop and headphone or webcam(which has mic built in)

So videophone is basically like Vonage but Sorenson used a proxy number instead of real number like Vonage do.

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Chevy57

So videophone is basically like Vonage but Sorenson used a proxy number instead of real number like Vonage do.[/QUOTE]

Prefect!

ismi

Not quite a VP user yet - I just got an email saying I should be getting my Ojo soon. But for me, it's not even so much about portability as it is transparency. If I can give hearing people a phone number that they can call that connects to VRS and then to me, that's great; my understanding is that for many VP providers, under the current system, they'd have to call a phone number, then enter my "VP number". Which works, but takes explanation, doesn't fit on some forms, is cumbersome on a business card, and so on. It's a hassle, and makes it that much less likely that Joe Hearing is going to call me.

That, and if I'm a VCO user, I can make outgoing calls where the hearing user is unaware that I'm doing anything special. Having a real phone number would mean I take take incoming calls the same way.

Chevy57

Good question about VCO user. I work for HOVRS. I will discuss with my supervisor about new MVP and VideoSign 3.0. I will explain about VCO later.

Etoile

Maybe you missed where I talked about Vonage. And again we have the issue of what "real" number means. But like I said, Vonage runs over the internet. It is also an alias system. When a hearing person picks up the phone and calls a Vonage user, they are actually calling the Vonage HQ and then the number gets routed to the Vonage user's IP address, and they pick up the phone. It's still an alias. They work the same way. So how is Sorenson's number any different from Vonage? Vonage isn't using "real" numbers any more than Sorenson...it's still an alias. However, Vonage does allow you to have number portability, but that's not the same thing as proxy/real now is it?

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Chevy57

Info on demo of 10-digit phone number by GoAmerica

Historic Calls for the Deaf Community

Chevy57

Did you watch vlog on GoAmerica's new 10-digital phone number in my last post?? You may write your comment.

JClarke

I did and I was impressed, but since the IP address is a concern for me though unfortunately.

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Chevy57

FCC fully plugs disabled TRS users into the phone system

The Federal Communications Commission has published the details of an Order requiring telcos to assign people with hearing and speech disabilities something that everyone else takes for granted: a ten-digit telephone number. Until this decision, "there was no uniform, consistent way for voice telephone users to call Internet-based TRS [Telecommunications Relay Service] users," the FCC's press release declares. TRS devices help consumers with disabilities access the public telephone system.

Actually, there still isn't a consistent way, but the FCC has told TRS vendors to put one together by the last day of this year. "Time is of the essence," the agency's Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking warns. What the Commission proposes is a complex but doable plan that, at its center, requires participants to build a big central database of people who use TRS accessibility applications. That database will allow participants to enjoy the "functional equivalence" of a ten-digit ID.

The possible up to now
Title IV of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required telcos to construct a nationwide TRS system to let consumers who are hard of hearing, deaf, or speak differently to make phone calls. The FCC recognizes and regulates the three biggest TRS apps. Video Relay Services (VRS) allow consumers to use sign language with a Communications Assistant CA (sometimes also called a "video interpreter"), who then relays the information to the person with whom the caller wishes to speak. IP-Relay systems allow users to send Web based text messages to a CA, who then calls and neutrally communicates with the receiving party. IP Captioned Telephone Service allows a caller with some hearing to route calls to a CA, who provides captioning to the receiver using a computer.

While these services enable consumers with disabilities to access the telephone system, they don't provide them with telephone numbers. Some VRS providers give their customers proxy numbers matching their home or office IP address. But the firms store data about these proxies in databases that are vendor specific, not industry wide. That's always been the big stumbling block to offering TRS users their own universally recognized ten digit numbers, until now.

Tuesday's FCC Order requires TRS vendors to assign standard North American Numbering Plan (NANP) NANPA : North American Numbering Plan Administration numbers to their customers either from NANP's administrators or from commercial number providers. These numbers must be geographically appropriate. And to make them widely identifiable, they must be logged into an industry-wide central database that links TRS-based NANP numbers to the users' related IP address. Commenters in the FCC's lengthy proceeding on this issue disagreed on how to construct this database. Perhaps the biggest dispute was over who would have access to it, some groups proposing an open, publicly accessible array of data tables. The Commission decided that a system available to Internet-based TRS providers only would be more secure.

On the other hand, almost everybody who filed on the proceeding agreed that this directory should be run by a neutral third party. "The neutral database administrator must be selected, and must construct the database, work with industry to populate the database, test the functionality of the database, and be prepared to support ten-digit numbers for Internet-based TRS users by December 31, 2008," the Order declares. The FCC's Office of Managing Director will pick an administrator, defined as a "nongovernmental entity that is not aligned with any particular telecommunications industry segment."

The Commission's Order also asks for further public guidance on a variety of issues. Should TRS users be held to a specific deadline to register with the new numbers-based service? How many numbers should a TRS consumer be allowed to request from a provider? The proceeding asks for help on how to protect TRS users from "slamming"—switching a consumer's phone provider without their permission, and "prextexting"—fooling a service into revealing customer data, then putting the intel up for sale.

All five Commissioners supported this ruling, but Michael Copps warned of "some confusion" during the process of creating the new system. "It's incumbent upon the FCC, providers, and consumer advocacy organizations to engage in a coordinated campaign to inform the disability community," he added. The move comes in the aftermath of a related decision: Effective on May 21st, the Commission ended all waivers for emergency TRS call management. TRS vendors must now accept and handle emergency calls under all circumstances.

Chevy57

Can use VP in both NAPN and pubic IP address networks.

Chevy57

Any comments on new 10-digital phone number on VP? You can contact Ed B. of pioneer of VRS anytime.
Ed’s Telecom Alert » The FCC Rule & Order for TN and Emergency Access

Soonersseth

can sorenson vp call dlink now ?

Chevy57

Not yet. Any VRS provider will contact you to register new local phone number soon to end of December 31. 2008. Throw out Soreson's old proxy number and DirectVP (800) soon. Do you have HOVRS purple member? I work for HORVS. If you interest to join up it, you contact me at my PM.

IloveVP

I am afraid that the real numbers may ruin our VP systems. Scammers and telemarketing people will easily pick up the real numbers and call our VPs. Of course, there will be a big frastuartion since we may see many funny names or we answer the VP call but no video so means it is voice. More headaches for us...

JClarke

What if the real number is automatically converted to the IP address, since you needed the internet connection to make the video work?

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Etoile

I think if it is a voice call, it gets routed through relay, doesn't it? Not sure I understand this part myself

But scammers and telemarketers call hearing people all the time...you want phone equality, you GET phone equality!

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JClarke

Scammers and telemarketers sucks!

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IloveVP

Real number is a direct number that you can call from anywhere no matter. Hearing people and deaf people will share the real number system therefore hearing people can call from cell phone to vp (using real number).

IloveVP

that is correct... Just like Vonage...

Etoile

Ummm...this doesn't make sense. How can a cell phone (on the phone network) call a VP (on the internet)? Right now, if you dial a DirectVP number from a regular phone, you are directed to Sorenson VRS and an interpreter connects the call. If you dial a DirectVP number from another VP, you go straight from one to the other. How can a cell phone (voice only) call a video phone (no voice)? Who would you talk to? How would it work?

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JClarke

Are you talking about the way the real number works, such as if a hearing person wants to talk to a deaf person - which automatically connects with the VRS, but how would it work if the real number connects directly to VP if it is a direct VP to VP?

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Etoile

That is EXACTLY what I am saying. IloveVP said "therefore hearing people can call from cell phone to vp (using real number)" but I thought you have to go through VRS first...what IloveVP said was confusing because it was missing the step of being connected through VRS.

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JClarke

maybe there is a special program that detects it is a voice call?

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IloveVP

Easy... You can call from cell phone to anyone that has a Vonage phone that is internet phone. So If you call to VP from cell, that is for sure no video but name will come up in caller id in vp. That is a big pain... I do not know if the real number can be treated as a DirectVP number. If it is, then there will be no problem but but who wants to hear the telemarketing adv or whatever.