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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 106 / Friday, June 4, 2021 / Proposed Rules
one copy of each filing. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. Currently, the Commission does not accept any hand delivered or messenger delivered filings as a temporary measure taken to help protect the health and safety of individuals, and to mitigate the transmission of COVID
19. All filings must be addressed to the Commissions Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
For detailed instructions for submitting comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see document FCC 2161 at https
docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC21-61A1.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Scott, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at 202
4181264, or email Michael.Scott@
fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commissions Notice of Proposed Rulemaking NPRM, document FCC 2161, adopted on May 20, 2021, released on May 21, 2021, in CG Docket Nos. 03123 and 1051. The full text of document FCC 2161 is available for public inspection and copying via the Commissions Electronic Comment Filing System ECFS.
To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format, send an email to fcc504@
fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202
4180530.
This proceeding shall be treated as a permit-but-disclose proceeding in accordance with the Commissions ex parte rules. 47 CFR 1.1200 et seq.
Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies. Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must 1 list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made, and 2
summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenters written comments, memoranda, or other
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filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with rule 1.1206b. In proceedings governed by rule 1.49f or for which the Commission has made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format e.g., .doc, .xml, .ppt, searchable .pdf. Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commissions ex parte rules.
Initial Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Analysis Document FCC 2161 seeks comment on proposed rule amendments that may result in modified information collection requirements. If the Commission adopts any modified information collection requirements, the Commission will publish another document in the Federal Register inviting the public to comment on the requirements, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Public Law 10413; 44 U.S.C. 35013520.
In addition, pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the Commission seeks comment on how it might further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.
Public Law 107198; 44 U.S.C.
3506c4.
Synopsis 1. In document FCC 2161, the Commission seeks comment on the adoption of compensation rates for TRS
Fund support of providers of VRS.
2. Section 225 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended the Act, 47
U.S.C. 225, requires the Commission to ensure the availability of TRS to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have speech disabilities, to the extent possible and in the most efficient manner. TRS are defined in section 225 of the Act as telephone transmission services enabling such persons to communicate by wire or radio in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of a person
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without hearing or speech disabilities to communicate using voice communication services. VRS is a form of TRS that allows people with hearing or speech disabilities who use sign language to communicate with voice telephone users through video equipment. VRS is supported entirely by the Interstate TRS Fund TRS Fund, and VRS providers are paid compensation for the provision of VRS
in accordance with the Commissions rules and orders.
3. In 2007, the Commission introduced a tiered rate structure for compensating VRS providers, to reflect the per-minute cost differentials among VRS providers and to ensure both that, in furtherance of promoting competition, the newer providers would cover their costs, and the larger and more established providers were not overcompensated due to economies of scale. Under a tiered rate structure, a VRS providers monthly compensation payment is calculated based on the application of different rates to specified tiers of minutes. The highest rate is applied to an initial tier of minutes up to a defined maximum number, a lower rate is applied to the next tier, again up to a second defined maximum number of minutes, and a still lower rate is applied to any minutes in excess of the second maximum. Since 2007, the Commission has periodically modified the tier structure and rates to align them more closely with the actual costs incurred by providers of varying size and levels of usage.
4. In 2013, the Commission made numerous regulatory changes affecting the VRS program. The Commission directed the Managing Director to contract with a neutral third party to build, operate, and maintain a video communications service platform, which would enable smaller VRS
providers to compete more effectively, without having to operate their own service platforms. The Commission also expected that the development of a standard user-device interface would make it easier for smaller providers to compete for customers without having to replace the free devices routinely distributed by the largest VRS provider.
After completing such structural reforms, the Commission anticipated being able to transition from the tiered rate structure to a single compensation rate for each element of the relay service. The Commission sought to align annual TRS Fund expenditures more closely with allowable provider costs.
The Commission adopted a four-year interim compensation plan, whereby all the tiered rates would be reduced in stages on a glide path toward closer
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