FCC Approves IP Captioned Telephone Service

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced its approval of Internet-based captioned telephone technology for compensation from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund. Today’s decision paves the way for people who have difficulty hearing over the phone to receive written captions of their conversations, via the Internet. In announcing the ruling, the commissioners praised IP-based captioned telephone technology as a “giant step forward” for people with hearing loss, noting the potential to improve employment, social, and economic opportunities for people who are hard of hearing.