Miss-Delectable
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http://www.ky3.com/newsdetailed.asp?id=8034
SPRINGFIELD – People who have landline telephones could pay a higher surcharge by next year to pay for phone services for deaf and hearing-impaired people. The funds for those services have been dropping as more people turn exclusively to cellular phones.
There is a 10-cent monthly surcharge on landlines to pay for a service known as Relay Missouri. That charge could soon go up by five cents each month.
"I go through Relay for doctors appointments, dental appointments, to contact my employer; my son may call me through the Relay,” said Kimberly Smith.
Relay Missouri helps deaf and hard-of-hearing people communicate over the telephone with the help of a keyboard. In some cases, they can use televisions with new technology for quick communication.
For Smith, who depends on the service everyday, it means keeping in touch with her son and living a life of independence.
"I don't really like to depend on my son to interpret all the calls for me,” she said. “I like to be able to be independent."
Funding is suffering. The 10-cent surcharge on landlines isn't enough anymore because more and more people don't have landlines anymore.
"The number of land lines the surcharge applies to has decreased because of cell phones,” said Cindy Lear, an interpreter for the Association in Sign Language.
That's why the Missouri Public Service Commission hopes for a 5-cent increase on all landline bills. The small increase would translate into nearly $4 million in one year.
"We don't really want to depend on our children to interpret for us. That would be so sad,” said Smith.
George Joslin, a member of the Relay Missouri Advisory Committee, is confident Smith won't have to depend on children.
"Many people don't understand: ‘What is this 10-15 cents going for.’ When they realize it lets people who can't hear have the opportunity to use a telephone the same way they do, very few people would have an objection to that,” said Joslin.
The PSC staff says, if the surcharge is not increased by 5 cents, the funds for Relay Missouri could be gone by April 2006. The final decision will be up to the commissioners, who were given the authority to review the surcharge every two years when the Legislature established Relay Missouri in 1990.
The PSC staff says, since it is a state-mandated program, the program will have to continue. If the fee isn’t increased, the PSC would be forced to find funding elsewhere. A decision should be made by July.
SPRINGFIELD – People who have landline telephones could pay a higher surcharge by next year to pay for phone services for deaf and hearing-impaired people. The funds for those services have been dropping as more people turn exclusively to cellular phones.
There is a 10-cent monthly surcharge on landlines to pay for a service known as Relay Missouri. That charge could soon go up by five cents each month.
"I go through Relay for doctors appointments, dental appointments, to contact my employer; my son may call me through the Relay,” said Kimberly Smith.
Relay Missouri helps deaf and hard-of-hearing people communicate over the telephone with the help of a keyboard. In some cases, they can use televisions with new technology for quick communication.
For Smith, who depends on the service everyday, it means keeping in touch with her son and living a life of independence.
"I don't really like to depend on my son to interpret all the calls for me,” she said. “I like to be able to be independent."
Funding is suffering. The 10-cent surcharge on landlines isn't enough anymore because more and more people don't have landlines anymore.
"The number of land lines the surcharge applies to has decreased because of cell phones,” said Cindy Lear, an interpreter for the Association in Sign Language.
That's why the Missouri Public Service Commission hopes for a 5-cent increase on all landline bills. The small increase would translate into nearly $4 million in one year.
"We don't really want to depend on our children to interpret for us. That would be so sad,” said Smith.
George Joslin, a member of the Relay Missouri Advisory Committee, is confident Smith won't have to depend on children.
"Many people don't understand: ‘What is this 10-15 cents going for.’ When they realize it lets people who can't hear have the opportunity to use a telephone the same way they do, very few people would have an objection to that,” said Joslin.
The PSC staff says, if the surcharge is not increased by 5 cents, the funds for Relay Missouri could be gone by April 2006. The final decision will be up to the commissioners, who were given the authority to review the surcharge every two years when the Legislature established Relay Missouri in 1990.
The PSC staff says, since it is a state-mandated program, the program will have to continue. If the fee isn’t increased, the PSC would be forced to find funding elsewhere. A decision should be made by July.
