Request for Comment on Petition Filed by Sprint Corporation Regarding Access to the Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Service Numbering Directory

On January 16, 2014, Sprint filed a petition requesting a limited waiver of the Federal Communications Commission’s rule that restricts access to the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Numbering Directory to the TRS Numbering Administrator and Internet-based TRS providers.

Specifically, Sprint requests a waiver of this rule to allow Sprint, as a provider of Federal Relay services, to load telephone numbers for its federal video relay service (VRS), including “front door” toll-free numbers and ten-digit numbers into the TRS Numbering Directory.

Sprint asserts that, because these numbers are not currently in the TRS Numbering Directory, federal employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and have been assigned a Federal VRS number are unable to make point-to point video calls to other deaf or hard-of-hearing federal employees.

Sprint further asserts that permitting these “front door” toll-free numbers and ten-digit numbers into the database will allow deaf and hard-of-hearing federal employees to make point-to-point video calls, increase the ability of deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans to reach federal employees, and reduce the number of calls that must be supported by the Interstate TRS Fund.

The FCC invites interested parties to file comments on the Sprint petition within by Sept 8, 2014 and to file reply comments no later Sept 18, 2014.