Media Coverage and the Video Relay Service

On November 19, 2009, Rep Jay Inslee (D-WA) warned Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski about impending bad press about several video relay services. Rep Inslee noted that "in the past, relay consumers experienced impediments to telecommunications access when relay services received negative publicity in the media."

He urged the FCC to:
1) protect access to relay services -- both through education of their benefits and regulation of those who abuse these services, and

2) discourage any attempt to reject relay calls or otherwise impede the access of Americans who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech impediments, to these services by making it clear that it is against a federal law, the ADA, to decline to accept relay calls.

On February 2, Chairman Genachowski replied saying that the Commission's Inspector General had been working in concert with the Department of Justice on the fraud investigation. The Commission's Chief of Staff also announced the FCC's intention to move forward expeditiously with a comprehensive review of the VRS program to ensure that its underlying structure fosters the efficient, effective, and lawful provision of VRS.