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 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  News  Media  contact: 
 September  25,  2001  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 


 OCTOBER  1  BEGINS  NEW  ERA  OF  TELEPHONE  ACCESS 
 711  Will  Permit  Easy  Nationwide  Access  to  Relay  Services 


 Washington,  DC  --  On  October  1  of  this  year  our  country  begins  a  new  era  of  telephone 
 access.  That  is  the  day  that  the  familiar  calling  shortcuts  of  911  and  411  will  be  joined  by  711  -the 
 new  three  digit  number  for  access  to  all  Telecommunications  Relay  Services  (TRS). 


 It's  fast,  functional  and  free. 
 TRS  facilitates  telephone  conversations  between  people  who  do  and  those  who  do  not 
 have  hearing  or  speech  disabilities.  In  one  type  of  TRS,  a  text  telephone  (TTY)  user  calls  a  voice 
 telephone  user  through  a  TRS  provider  (or  relay  center),  where  a  communications  assistant 
 places  the  call  to  the  voice  user,  and  then  relays  the  conversation  by  transcribing  spoken  content 
 for  the  TTY  user  and  reading  text  aloud  for  the  voice  user. 


 711  is  good  news  for  everyone,  not  just  persons  with  disabilities.  Both  voice  and 
 TRS  users  will  be  able  to  initiate  a  call  from  any  telephone,  anywhere  in  the  United 
 States,  without  having  to  remember  and  dial  a  seven  or  ten-  digit  access  number.  There 
 are  currently  over  100  separate  numbers  nationwide  for  accessing  relay  services.  Being 
 able  to  dial  the  same  three  digits  nationwide  to  access  TRS,  instead  of  having  to  be 
 familiar  with  each  state's  unique  access  number,  makes  TRS  much  more  accessible  in 
 our  mobile  society. 


 Under  the  new  rules  adopted  last  year  by  the  FCC,  711  TRS  dialing  must  be  provided  by 
 all  telecommunications  carriers  in  the  United  States,  including  wireline,  wireless,  and 
 payphone  providers.  The  FCC  rule  also  encourages  all  PBX  suppliers  to  configure  their 
 systems  for  711  access  to  TRS. 


 In  addition,  to  ensure  the  efficient,  effective,  and  successful  use  of  711  access  to  TRS, 
 the  FCC  required  carriers  and  relay  providers,  in  cooperation  with  the  states,  to  engage  in 
 on-  going  and  comprehensive  education  and  outreach  programs  to  publicize  the 
 availability  of  711  access. 


 If  consumers  find  that  they  are  unable  to  get  711  TRS  access  after  October  1,  they  should 
 contact  the  FCC’s  Consumer  Center  at  1-  888-  CALL-  FCC  (voice)  or  1-  888-  TELL-  FCC  (TTY), 
 or  by  e-  mail  at  access@  fcc.  gov. 


 -  FCC  -Consumer 
 Information  Bureau  contact:  Pamela  Gregory  at  (202)  418-  2498  (voice);  (202) 
 418-  1169  (TTY). 
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