Federal Communications Commission	DA 20-1277


DA 20-1277
Released:  October 29, 2020

EFFECTIVE DATE AND COMPLIANCE DATES FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES RULES SUBJECT TO THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
CG Docket Nos. 03-123 and 10-51; PS Docket Nos. 18-261 and 17-239; GN Docket No. 11-117

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently approved information collection requirements adopted in three Commission rulemakings relating to telecommunications relay services (TRS).  Requirements relating to direct video calling (DVC) and video relay service (VRS) at-home call handling became effective October 23, 2020.  Compliance with dispatchable location rules for 911 TRS calls is required as of January 6, 2021, for fixed relay services, and January 6, 2022, for non-fixed relay services.  
In the 2019 VRS Program Management Order, released May 15, 2019, the Commission established procedures for registering enterprise and public videophones in the TRS User Registration Database (User Database), permitted qualified DVC entities to access the TRS Numbering Directory, and established rules governing applications for DVC authorization and the entry of information in the TRS Numbering Directory and the User Database. Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket Nos. 10-51 and 03-123, Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 34 FCC Rcd 3396 (2019) (2019 VRS Program Management Order) (amending 47 CFR §§ 64.611, 64.613, and 64.615). 
  In the VRS At-Home Call Handling Order, released January 31, 2020, the Commission adopted rules permitting VRS providers to apply for certification to allow their communications assistants to handle calls while working at home, and associated monitoring, oversight, and reporting requirements. Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities, CG Docket Nos. 10-51 and 03-123, Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 831 (2020) (VRS At-Home Calling Handling Order) (amending 47 CFR §§ 64.604 and 64.606).
  In the MLTS 911 and Dispatchable Location Order, released August 2, 2019, the Commission amended its rules to improve the accuracy of the caller location information provided to public safety answering points when TRS users place 911 calls.  These “dispatchable location” requirements are applicable to VRS, Internet Protocol Relay, and certain categories of Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service. Implementing Kari's Law and Section 506 of RAY BAUM'S Act; 911 Access, Routing, and Location in Enterprise Communications Systems; Amending the Definition of Interconnected VoIP Service in Section 9.3 of the Commission's Rules, PS Docket Nos. 18-261 and 17-239; GN Docket No. 11-117, Report and Order, 34 FCC Rcd 6607 (2019) (MLTS 911 and Dispatchable Location Order) (amending 47 CFR § 9.14(d)(2)(ii)-(iii), 9.14(d)(2)(v), 9.14(d)(4), 9.14(e)(2)(ii), 9.14(e)(2)(iv), and 9.14(e)(4)).
  Each of the above rule changes resulted in modified information collection requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Pub. L. No. 104-13, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified at 44 U.S.C. §§ 3501-3520).  
  
On October 23, 2020, the Commission published a notice in the Federal Register announcing that OMB has approved these modified information collection requirements and established October 23, 2020, as the effective date for the amendments to 47 CFR §§ 64.604, 64.606, 64.611, 64.613, and 64.615.  For the dispatchable location amendments to 47 CFR § 9.14(d)(2)(ii)-(iii), 9.14(d)(2)(v), 9.14(d)(4), 9.14(e)(2)(ii), 9.14(e)(2)(iv), and 9.14(e)(4), compliance is required as of January 6, 2021, for fixed relay services, and January 6, 2022, for non-fixed relay services. Federal Communications Commission, Improving Video Relay Service and Direct Video Calling; Implementing Kari’s Law and Section 506 of RAY BAUM’S Act; Inquiry Concerning 911 Access, Routing and Location in Enterprise Communications Systems; Amending the Definition of Interconnected VoIP Service; Video Relay Service Call Handling, 85 FR 67447 (Oct. 23, 2020).
 
To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530.
For further information, please contact Michael Scott, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at (202) 418-1264, or e-mail: Michael.Scott@fcc.gov; or Thomas Eng, Electronics Engineer, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at (202) 418-0019, or email: Thomas.Eng@fcc.gov.
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