Companies Fined $.4 Million for Failing to Handle 9 Calls
24/09/2015
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release
COMPANIES FINED $1.4 MILLION FOR FAILING TO ACCEPT 911
CALLS FOR AMERICANS WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING
Hamilton, InnoCaption, & Sprint Admit Failing to Properly Handle IP CTS 911 Calls
WASHINGTON, September 24, 2015 - The Federal Communications Commission's
Enforcement Bureau today reached settlements totaling $1.4 million with Hamilton Relay,
InnoCaption, and Sprint Corp., resolving investigations into the companies' inability to handle
911 calls through applications used by callers who are hard of hearing. Over periods varying from
5 weeks to approximately 10 months, the companies were not only unable to relay 911 calls from
Americans who are hard of hearing but were unaware of this issue until a Commission
investigation revealed the problem.
All Americans must be able to reach 911 in an emergency, said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the
Enforcement Bureau. "Todays settlements reaffirm our commitment to ensure that the hard of
hearing community has essential 911 service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only are we
fining these companies for failing to provide this vital services, but we are assuring that they
provide it going forward.
Individuals who can use their own voice but have difficulty hearing utilize a Telephone Relay
Service (TRS) called Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) to engage in a
telephone conversation using an Internet Protocol-enabled device that allows callers to
simultaneously listen while reading captions of what the other party is saying. Companies that
provide IP CTS do not charge consumers for the service, but are instead eligible to receive
compensation from the federally-mandated TRS Fund as long as they have complied with the
FCC's TRS Rules and orders.
The FCC's Enforcement Bureau and Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau discovered,
through test calls made in 2014, that the companies were not able to accept and handle 911
emergency calls made using IP CTS applications, as required by Commission rules governing
TRS. The Enforcement Bureau's investigation showed that the amount of time the companies
were out of compliance varied. The Bureau also found that the companies submitted inaccurate
requests to the TRS Fund administrator for compensation provided to users of IP CTS
applications during the period the companies were not in compliance with the emergency call
handling rules.
As part of the settlement, the companies have admitted that their actions violated Commission
rules and have agreed to adopt robust compliance plans. The plans all contain measures to ensure
that Hamilton, InnoCaption, and Sprint all adhere to the FCC's emergency call handling
requirements for IP CTS providers, inform and educate consumers on emergency calling, and
strengthen policies and procedures for detection and notification of 911 call handling issues. In
addition, the settlements require each company to develop and implement risk management
processes to:
Identify risks that could result in 911 call failures;
Protect against such risks;
Detect future 911 call failures;
Respond to such failures with remedial actions, including notification to consumers; and
Recover from such failures on a timely basis.
Hamilton, InnoCaption, and Sprint also each agree to waive all rights and claims to
reimbursements from the TRS Fund associated with IP CTS applications during the time that 911
calls could not be handled. To resolve the investigations, Sprint will pay $1,175,000, Hamilton
will pay $235,000, and InnoCaption will pay $25,000, and each company will file detailed
compliance reports with the Enforcement Bureau.
Today's settlements are the first enforcement actions against TRS providers involving the
emergency call handling requirements. Users of TRS who experience problems with making an
emergency call, or the handling of an emergency call by their TRS provider, can file a complaint
with the FCC online at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us, or by contacting the FCC's
Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-
835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or by writing to:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
The Hamilton Consent Decree is available at: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-
15-1043A1.pdf
The InnoCaption Consent Decree is available at: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/
DA-15-1045A1.pdf
The Sprint Consent Decree is available at: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-15-
1040A1.pdf
###
Office of Media Relations: (202) 418-0500
TTY: (888) 835-5322
Twitter: @FCC
www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).
LINK: | http://www.fcc.gov/document/cos-fined-14m-failing-accept-911-calls-hea... |
See more stories from fcc |
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