NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th 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
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For Immediate Release:                                       News Media Contact: 
December 20, 2006                                              Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511
 e-mail: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov
INTERNET PROTOCOL CAPTIONED TELEPHONE SERVICE ELIGIBLE FOR 
COMPENSATION FROM INTERSTATE TRS FUND
Service represents important step towards functional equivalency 
Washington, D.C. – Today the Commission adopted a Declaratory Ruling finding that 
Internet Protocol (IP) captioned telephone service (IP CTS) is a type of telecommunications 
relay service (TRS) eligible for compensation from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund). The 
Commission acted in response to a petition by Ultratec, Inc., that was widely supported by the 
disability community.  
An IP captioned telephone call can be set up similar to a two-line captioned telephone 
call, except that the line from the user to the provider would be via the Internet, not a second 
PSTN line.  The consumer would make a voice to voice call to the other party on a standard 
telephone and the PSTN; at the same time, the voice of the called party is directed from the 
consumer’s telephone to a personal computer (or similar device) that routes it to the provider via 
the Internet.  The provider, in turn, sends back to the consumer the text of what was spoken.  As 
a result, the consumer can both hear (to the extent possible) what the called party is saying over 
the standard voice telephone headset, and read the text of what the called party said on the 
computer or similar device.
IP CTS will benefit consumers by giving them the flexibility of using a computer, PDA, 
or wireless device to make such a call, without having to purchase special telephone equipment.  
In addition, captions provided on a computer screen can accommodate a much wider group of 
individuals, including persons with low vision, because they can take advantage of the large text, 
variable fonts, and variable colors that are available.  
This service must meet applicable TRS mandatory minimum standards.  The Commission 
said it expects that, as with captioned telephone service, the service will be provided in a way 
that is automated and invisible to both parties to the call, and where the captions are delivered via 
an IP network to the user fast enough so that they keep up with the speed of the other party’s 
speech. Further, the Commission conditioned its approval of the petition on Ultratec’s 
representation that it will license its captioned telephone technologies, including technologies 
related to IP CTS, to all providers at reasonable rates.  
IP CTS calls will be compensated, on an interim basis, at the IP Relay compensation rate. 
The Commission also concluded that providers seeking to offer this service and be compensated 
from the Fund may seek certification from the Commission as an eligible provider.  The 
Commission noted that this is an interim measure and that it intends to revisit the cost recovery 
methodology for this service in the future, including jurisdictional separation of costs.
Action by the Commission December 20, 2006, by Declaratory Ruling (FCC 06-182).  
Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, Tate and McDowell, with Chairman Martin 
and Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, Tate and McDowell issuing separate statements.  
- FCC -
CG Docket 03-123
CGB Contact: Thomas Chandler at (202) 418-1475