The time has come for a national Video Relay Service, say disability groups

The Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) wants Canada to move quickly to implement a national Video Relay Service for hearing impaired people, saying it “will not tolerate wasting another full year in a new CRTC proceeding”. But some companies, including Rogers Communications Inc., disagree.VRS enables deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired individuals to make phone calls through an Internet video connection hooked to a relay centre staffed with sign language interpreters. It enables people with hearing and speech impairments to communicate with hearing people in real-time.CAD disagrees with suggestions that the CRTC hold another proceeding in 2009 to focus on national VRS and its funding, saying deaf Canadians have already waited long enough.“We urge you not to take this route. Deaf Canadians have been waiting five years for VRS and we will not tolerate wasting another full year in a new CRTC proceeding,” said James Roots, executive director of the CAD.But some companies, including Rogers Communications Inc., argue there is need for the CRTC to hold a separate proceeding to assess the feasibility of a national VRS.“We simply do not believe that the commission has enough information on the record of this proceeding to adequately assess how VRS would be implemented in Canada, how it would be funded, and what the timeframe should be for its implementation,” said Pam Dinsmore, VP, regulatory, Rogers Cable Inc.Organizations representing the disabled identified VRS as a top priority at the CRTC disability hearing last week. Currently, VRS is offered on a regional basis in Calgary Edmonton and Vancouver through a pilot project between Telus and an American company called Sorenson Communications, using funds from the CRTC-mandated deferral accounts. Disability groups at the hearing called for the creation of a national VRS system connecting all parts of Canada.While telecom companies say they support the idea of a national VRS system, at least in principle, they also favour a system that strikes a balance between their bottom lines and the needs of the users, warning that they may not be able to implement it on their own. Dinsmore also revealed at the hearing that the estimated cost of setting up a VRS system would be $100 million per year for 30,000 users, adding that in 10 years, the cost could skyrocket to $1 billion. But Kelby Brick, VP, regulatory and strategic policy, GoAmerica, a company that provides VRS in the U.S., says setting up a VRS system is not that expensive compared to the cost of not establishing it in Canada.“Really it is not expensive because the impact of not providing relay service is up to $3 to $4 billion,” he told Tech Media Reports. “So really, it is cheaper to provide the service than not doing anything. It’s a tiny fraction of all of the phone companies’ revenue here,” he says.Brick, who made a presentation at the hearing, proposes a funding model similar to one in the U.S., where VRS is funded by mandatory contributions from common carriers through a fund administered by a third party called the National Exchange Carriers Association, Inc. (NECA). This third party, he says, would certify potential providers who would be required to meet a minimum standard, akin to the licensing system used for phone companies in Canada.“Once you are certified, then that company can start to give services and get reimbursement from that third party fund,” he says.CAD backs the idea, saying current financial resources through the CRTC-mandated deferral accounts can’t adequately cater to the needs of a national VRS.“Again, we say: look at how the USA has done it, and use their best model for Canada,” said Roots at the hearing.But even as parties weigh the idea of a national VRS system, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance (CCSA), which represents small and independent cable companies mostly operating in rural areas, warns that such a service might not be able to reach its customers because of lack of high speed Internet access, which is crucial to the delivery of VRS.“Such high speed service is not available in many of the areas our members serve and is even less available in non-cabled areas. That fact needs to be considered before any such service is mandated,” said Chris Edwards, VP, corporate and regulatory affairs, CCSA.

The time has come for a national Video Relay Service, say disability groups

News | 11/24/2008 8:19 pm EST

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