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 NEWS  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).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  July  25,  2003  Rosemary  Kimball  (202)  418-  0511 
 TTY  (202)  418-  0464 
 FCC  RECOGNIZES  TEN  YEARS  OF  NATIONWIDE  PROVISION  OF  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  RELAY  SERVICES  AND  CERTIFIES  AS 
 COMPLIANT  THE  STATE  TRS  PROGRAMS  OF  ALL  50  STATES 
 Washington,  D.  C.  --  Today  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  recognizes  ten  years  of  nationwide  provision  of  Telecommunications  Relay  Services  (TRS).  TRS  enables 
 individuals  with  hearing  or  speech  disabilities  to  utilize  the  telephone  system  and  communicate  with  persons  without  such  disabilities. 


 The  Commission  also  announces  that  the  state  TRS  programs  for  all  50  states,  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  Puerto  Rico  have  been  certified  as  compliant  with  FCC  rules.  This  certification 
 is  for  a  five  year  period,  beginning  July  26,  2003,  and  ending  July  25,  2008. 
 Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  stated,  “We  are  proud  of  the  decade  of  expanded  opportunities  and  enhanced  communications  that  TRS  has  fostered.  Creating  such  opportunities 
 for  Americans  with  disabilities  is  central  to  the  Commission's  agenda.  We  are  committed  to  greater  flexibility,  more  aggressive  outreach  and  fostering  innovation  in  the  provision  of  these 
 services.  I  look  forward  to  the  continued  growth  of  TRS  as  well  as  policies  that  expand  access  to  the  digital  revolution  for  all  Americans.” 


 The  FCC  developed  regulations,  pursuant  to  Title  IV  of  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act  (ADA),  for  the  provision  of  intrastate  and  interstate  relay,  24  hours  a  day,  seven  days  a  week. 
 On  July  26,  1993,  the  United  States  became  the  first  nation  in  the  world  to  guarantee  around-  the-clock  telecommunications  access  for  the  millions  of  Americans  who  are  deaf,  hard  of  hearing,  or 
 have  a  speech  disability.  Prior  to  the  ADA,  some  states  had  voluntarily  implemented  a  relay  service,  often  staffed  by  volunteers,  with  limited  hours,  and  varying  levels  of  quality.  The 
 Commission’s  first  regulations  guaranteed  reliable  quality  relay  for  all  Americans  and  were  viewed  as  ground-  breaking  by  the  international  disability  community. 


 In  the  ten  years  of  nationwide  relay,  the  Commission  has  made  significant  advancements  in  these  regulations  and  the  United  States  continues  to  be  the  international  leader  in  the  provision 
 of  access  to  telecommunications  by  persons  with  disabilities.  On  May  15,  2003,  the  Commission  adopted  a  Report  and  Order  that  requires  Caller  ID,  3-  Way  Calling,  Speed  Dialing,  Call  Release, 
 and  improved  variations  of  Voice  Carry-  Over  and  Hearing  Carry-  Over.  In  addition,  the  FCC  requires  the  provision  of  interstate  Spanish  relay,  Speech-  to-  Speech  relay,  and  711  access  to 
 relay.  Further,  millions  of  Americans  are  now  able  to  use  the  Internet  as  part  of  their  relay  calls. 
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 Information  regarding  TRS,  state  certification  applications  and  TRS  complaint  log  summaries  are  available  on  the  FCC’s  Web  site  at  www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  dro/  trs.  html. 
 -  FCC  - 
 Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau,  Disability  Rights  Office  Contact:  Erica  Myers  at  (202)  418-  2429  (voice),  (202)  418-  0464  (TTY)  or  e-  mail  Erica.  Myers@  fcc.  gov. 
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