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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  Contacts:  July  14,  2005  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 e-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov  Dan  Rumelt  at  (202)  418-  7512 
 e-  mail:  dan.  rumelt@  fcc.  gov 


 ASL-  SPANISH  TRANSLATION  VIDEO  RELAY  SERVICE  ELIGIBLE  FOR  COMPENSATION  FROM  INTERSTATE  TRS  FUND 
 Washington,  DC  –  Today,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  concluded  that  Spanish  translation  Video  Relay  Service  (VRS)  –  in  which  the  communications  assistant 
 (CA)  translates  what  is  signed  in  American  Sign  Language  (ASL)  into  spoken  Spanish,  and  vice  versa  –  is  a  form  of  telecommunications  relay  service  (TRS)  compensable  from  the  Interstate 
 TRS  fund. 
 VRS  is  a  form  of  TRS.  TRS  enables  an  individual  with  a  hearing  or  speech  disability  to  communicate  by  telephone  or  other  device  through  the  telephone  system  with  a  person  without 
 such  a  disability.  VRS  allows  communications  using  sign  language  through  a  communications  assistant  (CA),  who  facilitates  the  call,  via  a  video  link,  rather  than  through  typed  text.  Through 
 VRS,  the  conversation  between  the  two  end  users,  deaf  and  hearing,  flows  in  near  real  time  and  in  a  faster  and  more  natural  manner  than  with  a  TTY  or  text-  based  TRS  call.  As  a  result,  VRS 
 calls  reflect  a  degree  of  “functional  equivalency”  unimaginable  in  a  solely  text-  based  TRS  world.  The  use  of  VRS  reflects  this  reality:  in  April  2005  the  monthly  minutes  of  use  were 
 approximately  1.8  million,  a  ten-  fold  increase  in  the  past  two  years,  and  more  than  the  number  of  interstate  traditional  TRS  minutes. 


 This  decision  will  allow  Spanish-  speaking  people  who  are  deaf  to  communicate  with  others  who  speak  only  Spanish  and  allow  them  to  integrate  more  fully  into  society.  The 
 Commission  has  previously  acknowledged  that  Hispanics  are  the  fastest  growing  minority  group  in  the  deaf  school  age  population.  In  addition,  the  TRS  rules  cover  Puerto  Rico,  where  Spanish 
 is  the  predominant  language.  Failure  to  compensate  for  ASL-  to-  Spanish  VRS  led  to  a  situation  where  deaf  or  hard  of  hearing  Puerto  Ricans  using  ALS  had  VRS  conversations  translated  into 
 English,  a  language  that,  for  most  Puerto  Ricans,  is  either  not  spoken  or  is  a  second  language. 
 The  record  in  this  proceeding  indicates  that  that  there  are  nearly  40  million  Latinos  living  in  the  United  States,  and  that  number  will  increase  to  over  60  million  by  2025,  representing  over 


 18%  of  the  population.  This  is  the  largest  minority  population  in  the  nation,  and  Spanish  is  the  most  widely  used  non-  English  language  spoken  in  the  United  States.  The  record  also  reflects 
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 that,  as  reported  by  Gallaudet  University,  as  many  as  24.5%  of  all  deaf  and  hard  of  hearing  students  age  three  and  over  are  Latino.  For  many  deaf  children  from  Spanish-  speaking  homes, 
 ASL  is  their  primary  language.  Because  these  children  do  not  learn  Spanish  in  the  special  schools  they  attend,  the  only  way  for  them  to  communicate  with  some  of  their  family  members 
 by  telephone  --  especially  if  they  are  too  young  to  type  --  is  through  ASL  to  Spanish  VRS. 
 TRS  services  are  provided  at  no  cost  to  the  user  and  are  funded  by  either  the  states  (for  certain  intrastate  services)  or  by  the  Interstate  TRS  Fund,  to  which  all  interstate  carriers 


 contribute.  While  allowing  TRS  Fund  compensation  for  VRS,  the  FCC  did  not  mandate  that  providers  offer  Spanish  translation  VRS. 


 The  order  will  be  effective  30  days  after  publication  in  the  Federal  Register. 
 Action  by  the  Commission  July  14,  2005,  by  Order  on  Reconsideration  (FCC  05-  139).  Chairman  Martin,  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps,  and  Adelstein.  Separate  statements  issued 


 by  Chairman  Martin,  Abernathy,  Copps,  and  Adelstein. 
 -  FCC  - 
 CGB  Contact:  Thomas  Chandler,  Chief,  Disability  Rights  Office,  (202)  418-  1475  (voice);  (202)  418-  0597  (TTY). 


 CC  Docket  98-  67 
 CG  Docket  03-  123 
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