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 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: December 15, 2009 Rosemary Kimball 202-418-0511 E-mail: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov FCC ANNOUNCES AGENDA AND PANELISTS FOR WORKSHOP ON VRS REFORM TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 17, 2009 Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission announces the panelists and agenda for the workshop on December 17, 2009 focusing on Video Relay Service (VRS) reform. Although there will not be a public comment period during this workshop, the public is encouraged to attend, and written ex parte presentations will be accepted. Please see instructions below for filing. Panelists: Jim Tobias, Inclusive Technologies Krishna Jayakar, Ph.D., Penn State University Gregory R. Rosston, Ph.D., Stanford University Karen Peltz Strauss, Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) Claude Stout, Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. (TDI) Sharon Hayes, Video Relay Services Consumer Association (VRSCA) Rosaline Crawford, National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Sheri Farinha, California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCASDHH) FCC Participants: Mark Stone, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Michael Jacobs, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Gregory Hlibok, Disability Rights Office Agenda and Topics for Discussion: 2:00-2:30 FCC Welcome and Introductory Remarks 2:30-3:00 Panelists’ Introductory Statements 3:00-4:00 Fraud and Abuse 4:00-4:30 The Most Efficient Way to Deliver VRS While Maintaining Functional Equivalency 4:30-5:00 A Fair and Transparent Compensation Methodology The workshop will be held in the Commission Meeting Room at the FCC’s Washington, DC headquarters, 445 12th St., SW, on Thursday, December 17, 2009, from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. The event will be open to the general public. Open captioning and sign language interpreters will be provided for this event. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need and as much detail as possible. Also, please include your contact information. Make your request as early as possible. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). In order to ensure that everyone has access to the content, a live webcast of the workshop will be available at the FCC’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/. The webcast will be captioned and archived for viewing at a later time (at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html), or people may listen in to the workshop by dialing 1-866-566-7390 and entering Code: 4732812. Persons who wish to make written ex parte presentations regarding the topics to be discussed in this workshop may do so in accordance with the Commission's “permit-but-disclose” ex parte rules. See 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1200, 1.1206. When making a written ex parte presentation, please label the presentation as such and reference CG Docket No. 03-123. Written ex parte presentations may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/, or by filing paper copies. Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file two copies of each presentation. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. Effective December 28, 2009, all hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. PLEASE NOTE: Through December 24, 2009, the Commission’s contractor will receive hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Suite 110, Washington, DC 20002. This filing location will be permanently closed after December 24, 2009. The filing hours at both locations are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554. -FCC-