*Pages 1--3 from Microsoft Word - 17736* Federal Communications Commission DA 02- 1166 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D. C. 20554 In the Matter of Telecommunications Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Supplemental Submission Concerning the Payment Formula and Fund Size Estimate for the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund for July 2001 Through June 2002 ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) CC Docket No. 90- 571 ORDER Adopted: May 15, 2002 Released: May 16, 2002 By the Chief, Telecommunications Access Policy Division: I. INTRODUCTION 1. This Order approves the modification of reimbursement rates for interstate Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), Video Relay Service (VRS), and Speech to Speech (STS) Relay Service submitted by the National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc. (NECA). Effective August 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, the interstate TRS reimbursement rate will be $1.395 per conversation minute, the VRS reimbursement rate will be $9.614 per conversation minute, and the STS reimbursement rate will be $2.469 per conversation minute. II. BACKGROUND 2. The TRS Fund is designed to compensate eligible providers for the cost of furnishing interstate TRS. These services include traditional voice- to- text and text- to- voice TRS, STS, VRS, and Spanish language interpreting. 1 Fund distributions are made on the basis of a payment formula initially computed by NECA in accordance with the Commission’s rules and 1 Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech- to- Speech Services for Individuals With Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CC Docket No. 98- 67, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 15 FCC Rcd 5140 (2000) (TRS Order). 1 Federal Communications Commission DA 02- 1166 2 then approved or modified by the Commission. 2 The reimbursement rate calculations for TRS, STS, and VRS are based on the cumulative average cost per interstate minute for each service. 3. On May 2, 2001, NECA filed the TRS provider payment formula and fund size estimate for the period July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, in accordance with section 64.604 of the Commission’s rules. 3 On June 26, 2001, the Network Services Division approved the payment formula, fund size requirement and carrier contribution factor for the period of July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. 4 4. On August 31, 2001, an interstate TRS provider notified NECA and the Commission that it had suspended its interstate relay service operations. The provider had projected a significant volume of minutes for the 2001- 2002 funding period, but had not participated in the TRS program since July 2001. 5 Therefore, on December 4, 2001, the Interstate TRS Fund Advisory Council approved a motion to recalculate the reimbursement rates without the suspended provider’s projections. 6 5. In its supplemental submission filed on January 4, 2002, NECA recommends increasing the traditional TRS rate from $1.309 to $1.395 per completed interstate conversation minute, increasing the VRS rate from $7.449 to $9.614 per completed interstate or intrastate conversation minute, and decreasing the STS rate from $2.62 to $2.469 per completed interstate conversation minute for minutes incurred from August 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. 7 Public comment on NECA’s supplemental submission was sought on February 8, 2002. 8 No comments were received. III. DISCUSSION 6. We have reviewed the NECA filing and find that its methodology and computations are consistent with section 64.604( C)( 5)( iii) of our rules. We thus approve the proposed modifications of the reimbursement rates for traditional TRS, STS and VRS. 2 47 C. F. R. § 64.604 (C)( 5)( iii). 3 47 C. F. R. § 64.604 (C)( 5)( iii)( H). 4 See Telecommunication Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, CC Docket 90- 571, Order, 16 FCC Rcd 12895 (N. S. D. rel. June 26, 2001). 5 Supplemental Submission at 1. 6 Supplemental Submission at 1- 2. 7 Supplemental Submission at 2. 8 Supplemental Submission for the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund Year July 2001 through June 2002, Public Notice (rel. February 8, 2002). 2 Federal Communications Commission DA 02- 1166 3 IV. ORDERING CLAUSES 7. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to section 225 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U. S. C. §225, and sections 0.91, 0.291, and 64.604 (c)( 5)( iii)( H) of the Commission’s rules, 47 C. F. R. §§ 0.91, 0.291, and 64.604 (c)( 5)( iii)( H), this ORDER is hereby ADOPTED. 8. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that NECA modify the reimbursement rates for traditional Telecommunications Relay Service providers at the rate of $1.395 per completed interstate conversation minute for the period August 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, for Speech-to- Speech relay service providers at the rate of $2.469 per completed interstate conversation minute for the period August 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, and for Video Relay Service providers at the rate of $9.614 per completed interstate or intrastate conversation minute for the period August 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Katherine L. Schroder Chief, Telecommunications Access Policy Division Wireline Competition Bureau 3