Instead of hitting the reset button on its stale policies, the F.C.C. keeps pushing pause. While Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are guaranteed equal access to communication services by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), today’s telecom landscape is far from equitable. #StandWithTheDeafCommunity and demand action via the petition linked above.
Over the past decade, the F.C.C. has slashed rates for critical video relay services by nearly half, resulting in what the National Association for the Deaf has called a “deterioration of service quality.” The F.C.C.’s outdated rulebook stifles innovation and strips people with disabilities of their civil right to the same streamlined communication that millions of people take for granted.
The agency should stop ignoring pleas from the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to ensure equity under the law.
• The New Yorker social post HERE.
• Teen Vogue Instagram post HERE.
• Teen Vogue TikTok post HERE.
DAD Note: The post above is originally posted by The New Yorker in relation to the article and petition highlighting some VRS issues. Do note that the VRS issues highlighted here are not unique as it also impacts all forms of relay call types. For example, relay calls usually do not answer banks sending a security code fast enough or a doctor texts changes to your internet or land-line based phone number (I.e. VRS, IP Relay, TTY, etc). Another glaring issue is the e911 that automatically sends your location when calling 911, this is not possible with relay services at this time. ‘Functional equality ‘ as phrased in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is still behind and better funding is needed to modernize communication.