Companies Fined $1.4 Million for Failing to Accept 911 Calls for Americans Who are Hard of Hearing

The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau reached settlements totaling $1.4 million with Hamilton Relay, InnoCaption, and Sprint, resolving investigations into the companies’ inability to handle 911 calls through applications used by callers who are hard of hearing. Over periods varying from 5 weeks to approximately 10 months, the companies were not only unable to relay 911 calls from Americans who are hard of hearing but were unaware of this issue until an FCC investigation revealed the problem. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau discovered, through test calls made in 2014, that the companies were not able to accept and handle 911 emergency calls made using Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) applications, as required by FCC rules governing Telephone Relay Service (TRS).

Hamilton, InnoCaption, and Sprint also each agree to waive all rights and claims to reimbursements from the TRS Fund associated with IP CTS applications during the time that 911 calls could not be handled. To resolve the investigations, Sprint will pay $1,175,000, Hamilton will pay $235,000, and InnoCaption will pay $25,000, and each company will file detailed compliance reports with the Enforcement Bureau.