ClearCaptions Concerned About Proposed IP CTS Mandate

The FCC proposal that mandates "consumer choice in captioning delivery method" for IP captioned telephone service (IP CTS) providers could "hinder competition and innovation," ClearCaptions said in separate meetings with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Instead, ClearCaptions suggested launching a notice of inquiry that will "collect information to determine if such a feature is in the best interest of IP CTS customers," according to an ex parte filing Friday in docket 03-123. The company also expressed concern with the validation process for the telecom relay service user registration database (TRS-URD), saying the system "would not consider formatting variances as validation features."