AT&T Explains Importance of Proposed Waiver of TTY Requirements

AT&T representatives explained the importance of a waiver the carrier is seeking of an FCC requirement that it support text telephony (TTY) “during the pendency of the real-time text (RTT) rulemaking and until RTT is fully deployed.” The discussion came in a meeting with Amy Bender, aide to Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. Limitations in the operation of TTY “may impair or altogether prevent TTY message delivery over Wi-Fi networks,” AT&T said in a filing in docket 15-178. TTY is the technology historically used by the deaf and hard of hearing, but it is expected to be phased out in favor of RTT (see 1508250063). “Instead of retrofitting TTY for next-generation networks and services, AT&T plans to surmount these accessibility challenges by deploying RTT,” it said. Until RTT is fully deployed, AT&T faces a dilemma, the carrier said. It can either “not offer Wi-Fi calling and other new VoIP services, which would put AT&T at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis other wireless providers that are currently offering W[i]-Fi-calling, or seek a waiver of Commission rules requiring the provision of TTY,” AT&T said.