Porting Your LN to Different VRS Provider
20 02 2009Folks,
One thing that the FCC requires of VRS and Internet Relay providers is the ability of deaf/hoh users to be able to port their LN to a different provider. Local Number is what you received from your original (default) provider.
Porting simply means you can keep your LN when you change to a new default VRS provider. There are several items that you all need to be aware of when porting LN to a new provider.
If you decide that you want to change to a new VRS provider but keep your original LN, you do the following action.
Contact the new VRS provider and tell them you want them to be your default provider and would like to port the LN. The new VRS provider will take care of the request, and should be able to continue to use LN immediately; if not immediately, then very soon.
Many people ask this question: can you keep your original VP and be able to port to a different VRS provider? For example if you have an OJO (SnapVRS as default provider), and you want to port LN to, say, Viable as default provider and use OJO, Is this possible?
Right now the "best" answer in this particular case is no, and you would need to give up OJO, and accept VPAD from Viable, but you CAN port LN to Viable/VPAD and use same LN.
Side note: according to the FCC rule, this porting LN to a different VRS provider and keep the original Video Phone is required by the regulation. Unfortunately, right now this is not possible with most VRS providers.
One issue that you all need to be aware of is that the subsequent clarification by the FCC seems to show that rule permits original VRS provider to STRIP all features except this two features: be able to call new VRS provider with the ten digit phone number; and when you type in LN to make a VRS call, VI should be able to automatically call the party of that LN you gave without you having to fingerspell the phone number you want to call.
What about the stripped features? Supposedly, new default VRS provider can add their new features to the original VP. However, at this time to my understanding ALL VRS providers are not able to "add" new features to the VP that they do not distribute. When will VRS providers be able to do that? It won’t be right away – one or two years? Or maybe none? We’ll see how the VRS industry and the FCC work that out.
So if you want to keep LN, a few possibilities seem to be these following items at this time:
These require porting procedure:
- You can port LN to new VRS provider and keep original VP and then lose the features of original VRS provider, and accept new features (see above remarks on that).
- Or you port your original LN and give up your original VP and get a new VP from new VRS provider; that way you keep your original LN (this can be done now).
These do not require porting procedure:
- Stay with your original VRS provider; don’t go to another VRS provider.
- Or you can keep your original LN and original VP, and just add the other VRS providers to the address book (this can be done easily and most likely most people will do that).
- Or get multiple LN from each VP (VRS Providers) if you have several different VPs (if you have several VPs, this is the most likely course of action that most of you will take.) (See my previous vlog on this.)
Hey, what about these VRS providers who do not distribute VP and you got LN? I think it is gonna be a problem. If I understand the relay rule right, you cannot get a LN with no VP.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Very Cool! I was not sure of how to do that but your information about LN really helps me understand and I am going to do sometimes this week. Keep up good job and have a good day!
Sandi
Sandi,
Glad it helped you. You made my day knowing info was beneficial to you and hopefully many others as well.
Likewise you have a GREAT day!
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Hi Ed, I’ve enjoyed your informative blog. I have a question for you, hopefully not too off topic or one that’s been answered before. Before VPs came along, I had a phone number from AT&T. I never use it because (a) I got tons of telemarketing calls and (b) using a TTY is so last millennium! Now I have both a Sorenson local number and an 866 number, and a Purple Number from Hands-On. My question is, what should I do with my AT&T phone number? Do I have to keep it, or can I close the AT&T account? Not sure how my phone calls via VP will be charged. Thank you,
Patty
Patty,
I assume your Internet Service is not AT&T? If not and you only have AT&T as a telephone service. You can close the account. Many deaf/hoh have closed their landline telephone service, and only have Internet (VRS and for computer). Keep in mind that if there is electric blackout or Internet outage, you will be out of luck. So many deaf have their own pager as well to supplement VRS.
Your last question. You will not be charged any VRS or vp to vp calls. If you give ur purple number to hearing persons, they may or may not be charged for long distance calls – depending on their phone plan they have with their own telephone companies.
Ed
Ed-
Even if they close their landline account, they should be able to place 911 regardless, right? I think I heard somewhere that even if the line is not activate, it is still available for 911. Can you please investigate that and get back to us. I wanted to make sure I get it right, and if not, I will stand corrected.
Thanks!
Jon
Jon,
Very good question. I did investigate that sometime ago.
It varies from telephone company to telephone company; and even then it varies from city to city of the same telephone company – usually larger the city is, better chance and smaller the city, usually not. The best way to find out is to call the telephone company where you live and ask them.
There is another alternative. Get the cheapest rate at the most basic plan. It varies from $3.50 to $10 a month; usually they keep the line open, and charge for minutes when calling. Usually bit more expensive like 40 or 50 cents per min – this varies as well. Any emergency calls will not be charged (true of most telephone companies).
Now on the cheapest rate, telephone companies will not divulge that info easily, but to best of my knowledge ALL telephone has a very basic plan at low rates. Eventually, I prob will opt for the lowest rate myself.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Did you check with any VRS companies on this? The info you gave sounds incorrect – what are your sources for this?
Bill,
I got most of these information from the Number Order that the FCC released. Yes, I did check with a few of VRS providers on this. Keep in mind that porting procedure is not complete yet as there are some technical issues. For example keeping original VP and port to a different VRS provider is – to my best of knowledge – not possible. Maybe in a week, month or years, it will be possible…but doubtful.
If you find any info I shared not correct, please point them out and I will be happy to investigate into that. To my best of my knowledge, what I vlogged is right.
Ed
Thanks Ed! you just saved me $30 a month paying AT&T for a landline telephone I didn’t even use. Yes, I have a pager as a backup. Also good to know about the basic rate plan, paying for minutes as I go, because I have a fax machine that I use maybe once a month or so. 30 cents per minute for a fax that lasts seconds should be a money-saver. I appreciate the info.
Ed,
I would like to know if I can port my number to a new VRS provider and go back to my original VRS provider and ask them for a new number. For example: SnapVRS provided me with a LN. I called HOVRS and asked for that number to be ported to my MVP. After I have the LN ported I go back to snapVRS and ask them to give me a new LN on for their Ojo. In this scenario I start out having one LN with my Ojo and end up having my orginal LN on my MVP and a new LN on my Ojo. Does that make sense?
This could possibly be a fouth option if it is doable. I am sure there are a lot of customers that are getting used to a particular LN and would like to port it to a new VRS but would also like to have access to the features of the original VRS provider.
I suspect that the VRS providers themselves have or will have policies regarding this soon if there are no FCC regulations.
Thanks,
CR,
I’m smiling – not at you, but with you.
I guess there are many possible avenues to do that.
Remember VRS providers “out of goodenss of their hearts” pay for TN, so if they are asked second time to provide a TN that they previously paid for and that TN got ported to another VRS, they may charge you for the second TN (FCC allows that).
Ed