Federal Communications Commission	FCC 26-4

STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER ANNA M. GOMEZ

Re: 	Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities; Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service Program; Misuse of Internet Protocol Relay Service, CG Docket Nos. 03-123, 10-51, 12-38, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (January 29, 2026).

At the end of last year, the FCC began looking at ways to modernize the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS).  TRS are a type of communications services that allow persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have speech disabilities to communicate by telephone in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the way persons without such disabilities use telephone service.  Over time and with technological advancements, telecommunications relay services have evolved from relying on the analog telephone network to now also being available over the Internet.  The proceeding we adopted last November focuses on modernizing analog TRS.  Today, we consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to begin a conversation about modernizing Internet-based TRS. 
    
As we undertake the task of assessing the impact of new technologies like Automated Speech Recognition in established Internet-based telecommunications services like IP Relay, IP CTS, and VRS, and as we consider deleting and amending rules that help these services catch up with today’s world, we cannot lose sight of our responsibility to prioritize solutions that serve the disability community.  
 
Thank you to the Chairman for incorporating my edits in the NPRM, including asking about how common carriers can share information about TRS with their subscribers in a modern way, and asking about the benefits to retaining the TRS Advisory Council – which has been a forum where consumers, providers, and state policy makers can provide input on the administration of the TRS Fund. 

I look forward to hearing from the disability community, industry, state decision-makers involved in the provision of TRS, and the Communications Assistant workforce, on the proposals we make today.