Miss-Delectable
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Communication Service Fears Funding Change - Portland News Story - WMTW Portland
A company with an office in Portland that provides video relay services to the deaf and hard of hearing says it is in danger of going bankrupt if the federal government changes how it's paid.
Sorenson Communications said the proposed funding formula change would be disastrous, but the Federal Communications Commission said it hasn't seen any evidence to support that.
The FCC is considering the change because right now it reimburses VRS companies on projected costs. The FCC instead wants to pay companies using actual costs based on historical call volumes.
That money comes from surcharges on phone bills.
Holly Maniatty with Sorenson Communications said the the change would have a devastating effect.
Maniatty said, "This rate would be disastrous. The CEO has said that it would bankrupt this company and lead to the loss of 40 jobs here in Maine and thousands nationwide."
FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Joel Gurin said the commission is committed to providing high quality VRS services to those who need it.
Gurin said, "They have not seen any data from Sorenson yet that would tell if bankruptcy is a possibility and what the consequences would be for VRS, but they (the FCC) made it clear to all providers that they would like to see data or any information that would be helpful to setting a rate."
This has left people who depend on VRS caught in the middle.
VRS allows the deaf and hard of hearing to communicate with others through an interpreter. By using a special video phone, the deaf are routed for free to a company like Sorenson Communications. The interpreter translates through video on one and and by talking on the other end.
Regan Thibodeau, who relies on VRS to communicate, said it is an indispensible service.
Thibodeau said, "They're able to express their affect, emotion, perspective and able to be involved in a conversation. In the past we haven't been able to have that conversation. We had to do it via a 2nd language like English."
As a teacher at Portland High School, Thibodeau said she and her students are concerned that they could lose VRS because of the proposed change to funding rates.
They have created a YouTube video asking the FCC to consider what live without VRS would be like.
A company with an office in Portland that provides video relay services to the deaf and hard of hearing says it is in danger of going bankrupt if the federal government changes how it's paid.
Sorenson Communications said the proposed funding formula change would be disastrous, but the Federal Communications Commission said it hasn't seen any evidence to support that.
The FCC is considering the change because right now it reimburses VRS companies on projected costs. The FCC instead wants to pay companies using actual costs based on historical call volumes.
That money comes from surcharges on phone bills.
Holly Maniatty with Sorenson Communications said the the change would have a devastating effect.
Maniatty said, "This rate would be disastrous. The CEO has said that it would bankrupt this company and lead to the loss of 40 jobs here in Maine and thousands nationwide."
FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Joel Gurin said the commission is committed to providing high quality VRS services to those who need it.
Gurin said, "They have not seen any data from Sorenson yet that would tell if bankruptcy is a possibility and what the consequences would be for VRS, but they (the FCC) made it clear to all providers that they would like to see data or any information that would be helpful to setting a rate."
This has left people who depend on VRS caught in the middle.
VRS allows the deaf and hard of hearing to communicate with others through an interpreter. By using a special video phone, the deaf are routed for free to a company like Sorenson Communications. The interpreter translates through video on one and and by talking on the other end.
Regan Thibodeau, who relies on VRS to communicate, said it is an indispensible service.
Thibodeau said, "They're able to express their affect, emotion, perspective and able to be involved in a conversation. In the past we haven't been able to have that conversation. We had to do it via a 2nd language like English."
As a teacher at Portland High School, Thibodeau said she and her students are concerned that they could lose VRS because of the proposed change to funding rates.
They have created a YouTube video asking the FCC to consider what live without VRS would be like.