FCC Disability Advisory Committee Asks Agency to Investigate Complaints on Amplified Phones

The FCC released a set of recommendations by its Disability Advisory Committee on amplified phones used by many who are deaf or hard of hearing. The group approved the document at its meeting last week. It recommended the FCC “investigate the complaints regarding amplified phone and phone network compatibility” and that the commission "consider efforts to educate staff and raise awareness about wireline telephone performance standards,” the document said. The FCC also posted DAC recommendations on IP-captioned telephone service, urging the agency to establish rules and standards for IP CTS quality of service through a rulemaking. The FCC should also consider adding a metric and measurement for verbatim/accuracy for IP CTS, the group said. “As the number of consumers using IP CTS continues to grow, the need for additional minimum quality standards or at least best practices continues to grow.” The agency also released DAC recommendations on the handling and processing of 911 calls by video relay service communications assistants.