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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  06-  106 
 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS 


 Re:  Telecommunications  Relay  Services  and  Speech-  to-  Speech  Services  for  Individuals  with  Hearing  and  Speech  Disabilities,  Further  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking,  CG  Docket 
 No.  03-  123 
 Less  than  two  weeks  from  now  we  will  celebrate  the  16  th  anniversary  of  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act  which  has  done  so  much  to  ensure  that  those  with  disabilities  can  access  the 
 tools  they  need  to  lead  prosperous,  productive  and  fulfilling  lives.  Today  we  take  another  step  along  the  path  by  helping  to  ensure  that  the  deaf  and  hard  of  hearing  receive  the 
 Telecommunications  Relay  Services  they  are  entitled  to,  that  providers  are  fairly  compensated  for  their  services,  and  that  the  Commission  is  enabled  to  administer  the  program. 


 Before  going  forward  with  this  rulemaking,  it  is  important  that  we  take  a  moment  to  take  stock  and  review  where  we  have  been.  While  improvements  have  been  made  over  time, 
 sometimes  in  the  past  we  have  tended  to  address  the  squeakiest  wheels  without  fixing  more  of  the  systemic  problems  associated  with  the  TRS-  reimbursement  program.  These  include  the  need 
 for  better  outreach  to  the  deaf  and  hard  of  hearing  communities,  the  need  to  quickly  take  into  account  the  potential  and  the  challenges  presented  by  new  technologies,  and  the  need  to  make  the 
 TRS  rules  more  transparent. 
 A  hero  to  many  in  both  the  hearing  and  deaf  communities,  Dr.  I.  King  Jordan,  the  President  of  Gallaudet  University,  told  me  recently  that  while  VRS  by  all  accounts  has 
 revolutionized  how  the  hearing  disabled  communicate,  he  was  astonished  to  find  that  there  are  still  people  who  just  don’t  know  about  the  service.  Imagine  living  your  life  with  a  disability  for 
 years  and  then  learning  that  there  was  a  technology  readily  available  that  could  have  eased  many  of  the  challenges  you  faced,  if  only  you  had  known  about  it.  That’s  just  not  acceptable  and  it 
 underscores  why  it  is  so  important  that  we  have  the  right  rules  in  place  to  guide  our  VRS  program  into  the  future. 


 One  thing  is  for  sure,  we  cannot  have  déjà  vu  all  over  again  whereby  we  are  sitting  in  this  building  a  year  from  now  without  a  well-  oiled  TRS  machine.  That  is  why  I  am  so  encouraged  by 
 today’s  item,  which  seeks  comments  on  a  wide  range  of  difficult  issues  and  looks  to  tackle  them  head-  on.  I  am  looking  forward  to  constructive  and  creative  input  from  both  the  provider  and  our 
 disability  communities  because  we  have  a  real  opportunity  here  to  build  a  TRS  system  that  can  truly  meet  the  needs  of  these  communities  as  well  as  those  of  the  FCC. 


 So  my  thanks  go  out  to  Monica  Desai,  the  Bureau  and  the  Disability  Rights  Office  for  working  tirelessly  not  only  on  this  item  but  also  on  the  Commission’s  obligations  to  the  deaf  and 
 hard  of  hearing.  Good  job  and  I  look  forward  to  bringing  it  all  home! 
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