[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 2, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11462-11464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4646]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
[CG Docket No. 10-51; DA 11-317]
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment on
Application of New and Emerging Technologies for Video Relay Service
Use
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission seeks comment regarding new
and emerging technologies that may be used to access Video Relay
Service (VRS). With the proliferation of access to VRS through mobile
technologies, the Commission has an interest in gathering information
about use of these technologies in compliance with the Commission's
rules. Comments received in response to this document
[[Page 11463]]
will supplement the comments received in response to the VRS Structure
and Practices Notice of Inquiry (VRS Structure and Practices NOI), and
will be incorporated into the record of that proceeding.
DATES: Comments are due April 1, 2011. Reply comments are due April 18,
2011.
ADDRESSES: FCC Headquarters at 445 12th Street, SW., Room TW-A325,
Washington, DC 20554. You may submit comments, identified by [CG Docket
No. 10-51], by any of the following methods:
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically
using the Internet by accessing the Commission's Electronic Comment
Filing System (ECFS) http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/ or the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow
the instructions provided on the Web site for submitting comments and
transmit one electronic copy of the filing to each docket number
referenced in the caption, which in this case is CG Docket No. 10-51.
For ECFS filers, in completing the transmittal screen, filers should
include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the
applicable docket number.
Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet
e-mail. To get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to
[email protected], and include the following words in the body of the
message, ``get form {your e-mail address{time} . A sample form and
directions will be sent in response.
Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must
file an original and four copies of each filing. In addition, parties
must send one copy to the Commission's duplicating contractor, Best
Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, or
via e-mail to [email protected]. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger
delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or
overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to
the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal
Communications Commission.
All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings
for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at
445 12th Street, SW., Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand
deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners.
Envelopes must be disposed of before entering the
building. The filing hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service
Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton
Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class,
Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW.,
Washington DC 20554.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Mason, Consumer and Governmental
Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office, at (202) 418-7126 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Seeks Comment on Application
of New and Emerging Technologies for Video Relay Service Use, Public
Notice, document DA 11-317, released on February 17, 2011, in CG Docket
No. 10-51.
The full text of document DA 11-317 and copies of any subsequently
filed documents in this matter will be available for public inspection
and copying via ECFS, and during regular business hours at the FCC
Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room
CY-A257, Washington, DC 20554. They may also be purchased from the
Commission's duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc.,
Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554,
telephone: (800) 378-3160, fax: (202) 488-5563, or Internet: http://www.bcpiweb.com. Document DA 11-317 can also be downloaded in Word or
Portable Document Format (PDF) at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/policy. To
request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail
to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).
In the VRS Structure and Practices NOI, the Commission designated
the ex parte status of the proceeding as ``permit-but-disclose,'' so
any presentations related to document DA 11-317 will also be designated
as such. Pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1200 et. seq., this matter shall be
treated as a ``permit-but-disclose'' proceeding in accordance with the
Commission's ex parte rules. Persons making oral ex parte presentations
are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentations must contain
summaries of the substance of the presentations and not merely a
listing of the subjects discussed. More than a one or two sentence
description of the views and arguments presented is generally required.
Other rules pertaining to oral and written ex parte presentations in
permit-but-disclose proceedings are set forth in 47 CFR 1.1206(b).
Synopsis
As part of ongoing VRS reform efforts associated with the VRS
Structure and Practices NOI, the Bureau seeks additional comment and
information regarding new and emerging technologies that may be used to
access VRS. See Structure and Practices of the Video Relay Service
Program, Notice of Inquiry, published at 75 FR 41863, July 19, 2010. In
the VRS Structure and Practices NOI, the Commission sought comment on
how to improve the VRS program ``to ensure that it is available to and
used by the full spectrum of eligible users, encourages innovation, and
is provided efficiently so as to be less susceptible to the waste,
fraud, and abuse that plague the current program and threaten its long-
term viability.'' The NOI also sought comment on a number of issues
concerning the provision of off-the-shelf video equipment, including
the extent to which such equipment is available and affordable to VRS
consumers, the extent to which this equipment can serve as an
acceptable substitute for videophone equipment and software
specifically designed for VRS users, and the extent to which changes in
the VRS program are needed to allow consumers to use such equipment for
VRS calls. Given the recent proliferation of these video technologies,
the Bureau now requests that interested parties provide additional
information and comment on the specific functionalities of these
devices as they relate to the provision and use of VRS as follows:
What specific features or functions of off-the-shelf
equipment, services, and software are needed to effectively use VRS?
Commenters should specify whether each feature or function is necessary
to use VRS and point-to-point communications or could be optional. What
broadband speeds and frames-per-second transmission rates are necessary
for acceptable video quality? What lux (lx) level ratings are required
for a camera to produce acceptable images in low light settings? What
other features must a camera have (e.g., pan, zoom, tilt)? How much
jitter (lateral and angular) is tolerable?
To what extent are consumers currently using off-the-shelf
video communication software and/or platforms in connection with VRS?
How often do consumers use these technologies (e.g., Skype, Apple
FaceTime) as compared to equipment and software issued by VRS providers
for point-to-point communications? What are the advantages and
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disadvantages of the off-the-shelf technologies compared to
technologies provided by VRS-providers? For example, are there specific
functionalities--for either VRS or point-to-point communications--that
these technologies offer that are not available on devices issued by
providers? What are the current limitations of such technologies (e.g.,
with respect to interoperability, numbering, emergency services) and to
what extent do such limitations impede their use by persons who rely on
VRS? Do such off-the-shelf technologies comply with the Commission's
current rules? If they do not comply, in what ways do they not comply?
Federal Communications Commission.
Karen Peltz Strauss,
Deputy Bureau Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2011-4646 Filed 3-1-11; 8:45 am]
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