The FCC PN on Reimbursable Costs for VRS/IP Providers
26 09 2008All..
Lot of the FCC stuff I have not covered the last two months that I took hiatus while focusing on the PUC affairs. Since I am no longer with the PUC – I can start focusing on issues for edsalert; I’ve decided to start most recent FCC Public Notices (PN) and work way back to older ones.
This Public Notice by the FCC is really a notice for Internet-based relay service providers only; however, I thought it would give y’all some interesting insight of how subsidization is done.
Before I belabor this, allow me to explain a little how subsidization works now. InterstateTRS Fund is what pays relay providers for Interstate relay and Internet-based relay minutes that the relay providers submitted to the NECA (National Exchange Carrier Association). NECA is a contracted company that does the subsidization procedure. States pay for relay minutes incurred within state (intrastate and local relay calls). This PN is at the federal level, and states are not involved. Okay?
Click to this: FCC PN on Reimbursable Cost
Now this new 10-digit phone number is new feature of TRS. The FCC has decided to keep that separate from the Relay minutes; in other words, the FCC has decided not to put costs of implementing 10-digit phone number system into rates-per-minute. Instead, the FCC wants each Internet-based relay providers submit costs to the NECA and once NECA reviews the costs per the FCC instruction, will reimburse the cost to Internet-based relay providers.
The PN advised Internet-based relay providers that they need to submit costs associated with tn-digit phone number creation that is required by all providers by Dec 31, 2008. If the providers expect to be paid for the costs for setting up 10 digit phone numbers, then they need to submit costs by end of January 2009, and thereafter submit on a quarter basis.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed B
After I watched your vlog at DVTV and I left my comment… someone told me that you never check your DVTV comments…..
I have been watching your vlogs and wow.. they are confusing with “Words”
of Text and Video til you named it “Internet” and makes me wonder if “Internet” is based on VOIP….or what. “Video” relay can be used in Internet or phone line…I just saw saw a videophone device thats being sold in Office Max and made by GE and uses regular telephone lines with high bandwith…. I understand that the Phone Company is starting to add bandwith on their lines in the future.
Bennie,
VoIP use Internet, and Video Conference use Internet. Now it is true that video can be used with telephone line, the quality is terrible. Telephone line does not have high bandwidth. What is happening is that telephone companies use Internet for its “telephone” use, not unlike VoIP. Vonage for example offers the telephone service but uses your high speed Internet. Verizon, AT&T, SWB, etc. now offers “telephone” service but using their own high speed Internet.
I hope this is now bit clearer.
Now those of you experts, if the technology has improved that I got my info wrong, just let us know.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed B
off-point. Who is the largest VRS provider? Sorenson? Who is next to Sorenson? It seems to me that there are no report of minutes based on what each provider submitted to NECA. NECA only shows total of minutes for all of VRS. What about the audit on each of VRS providers that submitted for minutes?