Global VRS Seeks Urgent FCC VRS Rate Action, Warns of 'Likely' Exit Without Relief
Global VRS asked the FCC for urgent relief from video relay service compensation cuts, without which it said it and others would "likely" have to exit the VRS business. The commission should "expeditiously approve a refreshing of the VRS reimbursement…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
methodology to encourage Telecommunications Relay Service Fund (‘Fund’) sustainability, meaningful competition and most importantly, to ensure that the Deaf Community does not fall victim to a monopoly VRS provider by default," said a filing Tuesday in docket 10-51 from Global VRS, which called itself the sole VRS provider to the "Spanish language and Deaf-Blind Deaf Community." Global VRS in August unsuccessfully asked the FCC to keep its VRS compensation stable after Oct. 31, by extending relief from a scheduled rate cut (see 1608150044). "Time is running out for Global VRS and indeed for all smaller VRS providers; Commission action is imperative. We have done everything possible to work with the Commission in seeking a reimbursement structure that will enable the Commission to meet its statutory obligations to compensate VRS providers for their allowable costs and support meaningful competition for the benefit of the Deaf community without avail," the provider said. "It is unclear what more we can do; it is time for the Commission to act on VRS reimbursement or accept the reality that the Commission -- by its seeming inaction in this arena -- will quickly exacerbate the very monopoly-based VRS program it and the Deaf Community have sought to prevent." Purple Communications, Convo Communications and Global VRS recently asked the FCC to consider an alternative VRS rate structure, according to a Purple filing. The FCC didn't comment.