Disability Rights Office: Update National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program and Telecommunications Relay Service Certification Renewal

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Disability Rights Office UpdateNational
Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Programand
Telecommunications Relay Service Certification
Renewal

• Rosaline Crawford Gregory Hlibok
• Disability Rights Office
• Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau
• Federal Communications Commission

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National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution
Program(NDBEDP)

• The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video
  Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA)
• authorized the FCC to use up to 10 million
  annually from the interstate Telecommunications
  Relay Service fund
• to support programs that distribute accessible
  communications equipment to low-income
  individuals who are deaf-blind.
• In 2011, the FCC established the NDBEDP as a two-
  to three-year pilot program, which was launched
  on July 1, 2012.

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National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution
Program (NDBEDP)

• The Perkins School for the Blind is conducting a
  national outreach campaign for the NDBEDP
  iCanConnect.org
• The FCC certified 53 entities one entity for
  each state, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US
  Virgin Islands to participate.
• The FCC allocated 50,000 to each of the 53
  certified programs, plus additional funding based
  on the size of each states population.
• Certified programs are reimbursed up to their
  annual allocation for equipment distributed and
  related services provided (such as communications
  assessments, equipment installation and training).

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National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution
Program (NDBEDP)

• NDBEDP recipients must be deaf-blind as defined
  in the Helen Keller National Center Act and have
  income that does not exceed 400 of the Federal
  Poverty Guidelines.
• Equipment must be designed to make
  telecommunications, advanced communications, or
  Internet access services accessible to the
  deaf-blind individual.
• Equipment may be hardware, software, or
  applications, separate or in combination,
  mainstream or specialized.
• The NDBEDP supplements rather than supplants
  existing legal mandates or programs, such as
  special education or vocational rehabilitation,
  that may provide equipment.

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National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution
Program (NDBEDP)

• National Outreach Campaign
• iCanConnect.org
• Click on state partners to find the NDBEDP
  certified program in your state, or go to
  iCanConnect.org/partners.php
• 1-800-825-4595
• FCC
• www.fcc.gov/NDBEDP (links to Consumer Guide and
  other info)
• 202-418-2517 (voice) or 202-418-2922 (TTY)
• e-mail dro_at_fcc.gov

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State TRS Certification Renewal

• Under Section 225 of the Communications Act,
  states wishing to establish their own programs
  for the provision of intrastate and interstate
  Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) over the
  public switched telephone network may receive
  Commission certification to do so.

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State TRS Certification Renewal

• All certified state TRS programs are required to
  provide traditional (TTY-based) TRS, interstate
  Spanish language traditional TRS, and
  Speech-to-Speech relay (STS) service.
• States may also offer captioned telephone relay
  service (CTS).

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State TRS Certification Renewal

• States seeking renewal of their certification
  must include information about each of these
  services.
• This is necessary so that Commission can ensure
  that the provision of these services is
  consistent with its rules and that the state is
  exercising responsibility for oversight of these
  services.
• Certification is effective for 5 years.

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State TRS Certification Renewal

• The state certification process is intended to
  ensure that TRS is provided in a uniform manner
  throughout the United States and territories.
• Applications for certification renewal will be
  reviewed to determine whether each state TRS
  program has sufficiently documented that it meets
  or exceeds all of the applicable operational,
  technical and functional mandatory minimum
  standards set forth in section 64.604 of the
  Commissions rules.

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State TRS Certification Renewal

• The current TRS certifications for all states and
  territories will expire on July 26, 2013
• Under the TRS regulations, states can apply for
  renewal one year prior to expiration, i.e.,
  July 26, 2012. 47 C.F.R. 64.606(c)(1).

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State TRS Certification Renewal

• Although there is no deadline for filing, renewal
  applications should be filed at least several
  months prior to the July 26, 2013 expiration, to
  give the Commission time to review and rule on
  the applications prior to the expiration of the
  prior certification.
• July 25, 2012 Public Notice released to remind
  the State TRS Program administrators to submit an
  application for renewal no later than October 1,
  2012.

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Timeline for State TRS Certification Renewal
Process

• Fall 2012
• Public Notices are issued indicating that
  applications have been received by the Commission
  and seeking comment on the filing.
• Fall 2012 through Spring 2013
• Applications for recertification are reviewed for
  compliance with 47 C.F.R. 64.604 64.606.

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Timeline for State TRS Certification Renewal
Process

• Spring 2013
• Deficiency letters are sent to request additional
  information that demonstrates compliance with the
  mandatory minimum requirements.
• Late Spring through July 2013
• Public Notices informing states that their
  applications for recertification have been
  reviewed and certification has been renewed.

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For More Information
transition.fcc.gov/cgb/dro
Gregory.Hlibok_at_fcc.gov or Rosaline.Crawford_at_fcc.go
v