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VRS Providers Support SIP Interoperability Profile, Object to RUE Profile

Video relay service providers offered mixed reaction to FCC proposals to incorporate interoperability and portability standards into agency rules (see 1608050031). Convo Communications, CSDVRS (ZVRS), Purple Communications and Sorenson Communications backed the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau's proposed incorporation of…

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one interoperability profile (Session Initiation Protocol profile) into telecom relay service rules. The bureau shouldn't incorporate "the Interoperability Profile for Relay User Equipment ('RUE Profile') because doing so would have the unintended consequence of imposing the RUE Profile on all provider-distributed endpoints," the providers filed, as comments were being posted Wednesday and Thursday in docket 10-51. "This goes far beyond the purpose of the RUE Profile, which was intended solely to govern the interactions between the Commission’s Accessible Communications for Everyone ('ACE') software and VRS providers. And it would force providers to remove any innovative or useful features of their endpoints that are not specified in the RUE Profile and to subject their networks to lower security than they employ today." The VRS providers also said 60 days is insufficient time to implement either standard, saying at least 120 days is needed for the SIP profile and a year for the RUE profile once a certified compliant version of the ACE application is available. Sorenson and ZVRS separately elaborated on their concerns. ASL Services Holdings (GlobalVRS) supported incorporation of the SIP profile but said the FCC should clarify its intent regarding the RUE profile and allow parties to participate in further development of the standard. Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association for the Deaf and other consumer advocacy groups supported incorporation of the RUE interoperability and portability standards, but said they should be subject to further revisions in the future. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Omnitor said the RUE specification, as written, raised some technical questions and issues that should be addressed and revised before being incorporated.