STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS
Re.    Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals 
with Hearing and Speech Disabilities; E911 Requirements for IP-Enabled Service 
Providers, CG Docket No. 03-123, WC Docket No. 05-196.
A 911 call may be the most important call you’ll ever make.  When most people 
place such a call, 911 operators immediately know where they are calling from based on 
their phone number. But imagine if the operator didn’t know because you don’t have a 
phone number and because you’re not calling from a traditional phone line.  Imagine the 
additional time it would take to determine where to send emergency services or worse, 
imagine if the operator refused to take your call at all.  The deaf and hard of hearing don’t 
need to imagine these situations because they have faced these scary scenarios when 
relying upon Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Services such as Video Relay 
Service, Internet Protocol Relay and IP-captioned telephone relay service to 
communicate.  
The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates functional equivalency and it is 
astonishing that in 2008 some people with disabilities don’t have the equivalent of 
something as basic as 911 service or, for that matter, a home phone number. I am pleased 
to support this item because it requires providers to accept and prioritize all 911 calls 
from consumers using Internet relay services.  It also establishes a concrete timeline for 
implementing a ten-digit numbering plan for consumers.  In doing so, we take another 
step towards providing the deaf and hard of hearing the functionally equivalent phone 
services they need and deserve.  
I want to thank all my colleagues for their willingness to commit the Commission 
to a timeline for getting the job done.  Specifically, the Commission has committed to 
completing a final Order on ten-digit numbering rules by the end of June.  In order to 
provide all stakeholders the time necessary to implement these rules, the Commission 
will require that the plan be implemented no later than year-end.  In doing so, consumers 
who use Internet relay services will have conveniences and life-saving services available 
to them for the first time. To succeed in this, it will require all interested parties –
consumers, providers and the Commission – pulling together to make this happen.  I am 
optimistic that with everyone’s focus, effort and assistance we can get it done and I look 
forward to helping bring it all home.