It is more expensive to be deaf in this narrow scope of the topic here.
That's why they pay for PHONE services! You don't unless you pay for phone services like SK or iPhone.
Sounds functionally equal to me.
Just like hearing people have to pay for phone services. Some deaf people don't have phone services at all - it's just data only.
And they get less features.
Hearing do pay the VRS even we, the Deaf, pay the VRS by our billing that FCC collection from our little money. Hearing people doesn't know what to sign while interpreter training to accommodate for everyone as barrier free.
You are wrong about Deaf spoiler... Hearing spoiler to put Deaf child into cochlear implant that doctor who did and done that mean HEARING!
Hearing got less feature? VP can't call block, can't change number anytime we changed, and have one videophone. Hearing have multi-phone in home, and doesn't have to stay one spot, and have more feature to use phone.
It not about DEAF or Hearing.. IT ABOUT total communication... I think you are spoiling your finger to type this one
Im afraid that you seemed to be ignorant? Dont forget most deaf prefer to use their native language i.e ASL/SEE/what else it is, to speed up the conversation via call. Also, this help to break barrier as well.
Secondly, the "free" equipments deaf receive is technically as borrowing, its not official belong to us since it is property of Company, therefore company itself put themselves on debit to pay off to help us.
Thirdly, "And the majority of them never use relay so why should we force them to pay for services to benefit us? Just asking. " this is YOUR assume. In fact, If we dont use their relay service then they WILL NOT EARN MONEY AT ALL unless we make a call then minutes start to generate $ per a minute until we hung up the call then it stop, in order to earn money from this. Havent you heard of NECA? Seemed you dont.
p.s alot hearing people have no patient for text relay cause it taking so forever and lag their minds, that mean the conversation turns into very annoyed. In fact, all of my family do not like me use text relay due to that. I assure you almost all deaf's hearing relatives/friend/etc dont like it either.
Oh? Let's see - hearing people pay for Internet too... and they also pay for phone. So your point is?
That's true and you can say the same with cell phones. It's theirs until you pay full by end of contract. Do they come get it? Most don't. They expect you to pay in full.. and if you don't, they threaten you with deliquent accounts.
Um, it's the same for a lot of services. Cell phones don't make money unless there's a connection. Internet devices don't make money until it's connected. That's how they sell. Why would people buy cellphone if it cannot connect?!
If you have 1,000 minutes at $6pm. That means 600,000 dollars. Hardly something to sweat over. The FCC is allocating between $280.8 and $673.3 million for those calls!
I agree. your point is?
why you get get VRS from different companies by Sorenson, Purple, SprintVRS, ConvoVRS and more? Too much.. It should get one company from VRS that FCC might keep it for paying an interpreter minutes that y'all can use it by one company, not need others as waste.
I am sorry, I respectfully disagree with this. Competitors is what makes America running strong.
Not one of the nine VRS companies is actually threatening to close up shop. Only that they are threatening to protest the loss of their profits by maybe taking away your VP, or laying off interpreters, or doing anything else other than reducing their bonuses or not buying a vacation home for themselves.
Competition will be strong and healthy even at the reduced rate. People are making a profit at that rate.
You are grossly misinformed... go to NECA's website https://www.neca.org/cms400min/Neca_templates/TRS.aspx?pageid=1318 and go to RELATED LINKS on the left hand side and click on the link 2010-2011 Fund Filing. It is a presentation and towards the end of the presentation there is a list of what is paid for... all of what you said is not paid for is actually paid for.
For example: free VPs... that would fall under Return of Investment @ $ 0.11 cents per minute and Cash Working Capital Component of $ 0.08 cents per minute. Sorenson owns about 85% of the market and it is estimated that 8.2 MM interpreted minutes are submitted for payment a month... which means about 6.9MM goes to Sorenson... so if you multiply 6.9MM by $0.11 and $0.08 or $0.19 that is roughly $1.3MM altogether per month or $15.7MM a year.
For interpeters: $2.10@ 6.9MM interpreted minutes a month is $14.9MM a month for interpreters which you will find under CA-related expenses.
as for lease and electric bill that is under FACILITIES: $0.22 @ 6.9MM is $1.5MM a month. etc etc.
Sorenson is compensated very-very well... the new proposed rate of $3.89 for tier III providers renders Sorenson about $325MM a year.
What the new proposed rates do is eliminate the greed factor in this government subsidized service.
I appreciate your passion, but I think you need to do a little more research before joining the "Chaos, devastation, and bankruptcy" bandwagon. Rate cuts have happened in the past and what resulted was more innovation and product choices including the VP200... once upon a time VRS rates were at $17 then $14... then there was a 50% cut; those in business survived and many more joined the business.
I appreciate your passion, but I think you need to do a little more research before joining the "Chaos, devastation, and bankruptcy" bandwagon. Rate cuts have happened in the past and what resulted was more innovation and product choices including the VP200... once upon a time VRS rates were at $17 then $14... then there was a 50% cut; those in business survived and many more joined the business.
hmm sorenson is crying right now due to proposed per min cuts because they WILL owe investors the first payment this summer.
Jan 14 (Reuters) - Sorenson Communications Inc on Thursday
sold $735 million of senior secured notes in the 144a private
placement market, said IFR, a Thomson Reuters service. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were the joint
bookrunning managers for the sale.
BORROWER: SORENSON COMMUNICATIONS INC
AMT $735 MLN COUPON 10.50 PCT MATURITY 2/1/2015
TYPE SR NOTES ISS PRICE 98.101 FIRST PAY 8/1/2010
MOODY'S N/A YIELD 11.00 PCT SETTLEMENT 1/22/2010
S&P CCC-PLUS SPREAD 853 BPS PAY FREQ SEMI-ANNUAL
FITCH N/A MORE THAN TREAS NON-CALLABLE 2 YRS
link is New Issue-Sorenson sells $735 mln in 5-yr senior notes | Reuters
myVRS Relay Central - Save VRS
I agree with myVRS Relay. Do not listen FB rumors. Do not follow Sorenson report and don't listen word "Bankruptcy"
I will do to send comment to FCC this week.
Without VRS, we would be back in TDD world.