VRS reform

qwerty123

qwerty123

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FCC host VRS reform serious business

FCC ANNOUNCES WORKSHOP ON VRS REFORM TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 17, 2009
Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission today announces it will hold a workshop on December 17, 2009, as part of its comprehensive review of the Video Relay Service (VRS) program, to ensure that the program’s underlying structure fosters the efficient, effective, and lawful provision of VRS. This workshop is open to the public and is intended to gather data and information on these key areas:
1) The most efficient way to deliver VRS, particularly whether the service should remain a competitive service or be provided via competitive bidding;
2) A fair, efficient, and transparent compensation methodology; and,
3) Mechanisms for combating waste, fraud and abuse, addressing service rules, and addressing technical matters such as interoperability, ten-digit numbering, and emergency call handling.

link
 
Dont you know what a workshop really is?

Its pretty weak position in FCC's point of view and is bound to fail in major points.
 
If they change to competitive bidding, what could that mean for us? A change could mean several VRS companies going out of business?

I will find out it by Dec 17.
 
since they have webcast alive and curious they will have caption too as well?
 
Most likely the following things would be put forth:

1) VRS would start being overseen and paid for by states instead of the federal government; I think that's a good thing

2) Companies would start complying with regulations set by each state, which must meet Federal minimum standards but often are higher than minimum, resulting in higher quality service across the board;

3) Lower costs due to competition instead of "grab every customer you can and bill the FCC through the nose."

So, I don't think there will be a drop in quality if there are 50 pairs of eyes on the VRS industry instead of just 2 or 3. There will be a few VRS companies exiting the market; those companies would not have survived anyway due to the nature of running a competitive business. VRS is not a charity - it's an accessibility method that each state should oversee and regulate, like telephones and gas and water.

qwerty123 said:
FCC host VRS reform serious business

FCC ANNOUNCES WORKSHOP ON VRS REFORM TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 17, 2009
Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission today announces it will hold a workshop on December 17, 2009, as part of its comprehensive review of the Video Relay Service (VRS) program, to ensure that the program’s underlying structure fosters the efficient, effective, and lawful provision of VRS. This workshop is open to the public and is intended to gather data and information on these key areas:
1) The most efficient way to deliver VRS, particularly whether the service should remain a competitive service or be provided via competitive bidding;
2) A fair, efficient, and transparent compensation methodology; and,
3) Mechanisms for combating waste, fraud and abuse, addressing service rules, and addressing technical matters such as interoperability, ten-digit numbering, and emergency call handling.

link
Click to expand...
 
SouthFella said:
This will be VERY interesting...

Wonder if Viable and SnapVRs gonna be there ?

hmmm
Click to expand...

Hi this is Jeff Rosen, General Counsel for Snap!VRS. Someone directed my attention to SouthFella's comment which implies that Snap!VRS was somehow involved with VRS fraud. Snap!VRS has not been the subject of any investigation and has been acknowledged as one of the most ethical VRS providers in the business. You can visit our website: Snap!VRS Video Relay Services for our public statements regarding the fraud and our ethical practices.

I'm not jumping to defend Snap!VRS as much as I am cautioning folks not to inaccurately broadly paint entire VRS providers in a negative way. OUr access to VRS could be affected as a result of how people discuss where we are today and what we need to do to maintain the long term health of relay services.

-Jeff
 
jtodrosen... nor did I imply SnapVRS was involved in fraud... Just slow to customers request for technical support is my only beef with Snap...

As I understand the latest news, Snap is alledgely acquiring Viable.. That was my only focus...

No need getting jumpy here Rosen...
 
jtodrosen said:
Hi this is Jeff Rosen, General Counsel for Snap!VRS. Someone directed my attention to SouthFella's comment which implies that Snap!VRS was somehow involved with VRS fraud. Snap!VRS has not been the subject of any investigation and has been acknowledged as one of the most ethical VRS providers in the business. You can visit our website: Snap!VRS Video Relay Services for our public statements regarding the fraud and our ethical practices.

I'm not jumping to defend Snap!VRS as much as I am cautioning folks not to inaccurately broadly paint entire VRS providers in a negative way. OUr access to VRS could be affected as a result of how people discuss where we are today and what we need to do to maintain the long term health of relay services.

-Jeff
Click to expand...

My eyes has been on snap for a bit - I can agree with what this guy said up above.
 
ready for tomorrow workshop to do as VRS reform and see how it is going... ready for better and for worse...
 
FCC ANNOUNCES AGENDA AND PANELISTS FOR WORKSHOP ON VRS REFORM
TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 17, 2009

Panelists:
Jim Tobias, Inclusive Technologies
Krishna Jayakar, Ph.D., Penn State University
Gregory R. Rosston, Ph.D., Stanford University
Karen Peltz Strauss, Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT)
Claude Stout, Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. (TDI)
Sharon Hayes, Video Relay Services Consumer Association (VRSCA)
Rosaline Crawford, National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
Sheri Farinha, California Coalition of Agencies Serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCASDHH)

FCC Participants:
Mark Stone, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Michael Jacobs, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Gregory Hlibok, Disability Rights Office

Agenda and Topics for Discussion:
2:00-2:30 FCC Welcome and Introductory Remarks
2:30-3:00 Panelists’ Introductory Statements
3:00-4:00 Fraud and Abuse
4:00-4:30 The Most Efficient Way to Deliver VRS While Maintaining Functional Equivalency
4:30-5:00 A Fair and Transparent Compensation Methodology

https://portal.neca.org/portal/serv...w.neca.org/publicationsdocs/wwpdf/1215vrs.pdf
 
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