Have You Used Your Captioned Phone Service Recently?

An email crossed our desk that grabbed our attention recently. A consumer advocate in Washington State attempted to call the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) 800 phone line only to have that call refused because the caller was using a CapTel phone. The SSA manager told the advocate that they accepted TTY calls and Video Relay Calls (VRS) but not captioned telephone services.

In another case, a Maryland consumer was attempting to use CapTel to reach someone in Canada. The Maryland Relay service would not put that call through. Had the consumer been a hearing person, calling Canada would be no problem using a traditional home phone. But it could not happen with CapTel in Maryland.

In California, a new contract has been awarded for the State Relay service provider, with the additional provision that the caller assistant must announce herself or himself on every captioned telephone call. California Relay does not require the caller assistant to announce himself or herself on a TTY call or a VRS call. Just for captioned telephone services.

What is captioned phone service?

According to Ultratec’s website, “The Captioned Telephone works like any other telephone with one important addition: It displays every word the other party says throughout the conversation. CapTel users can listen to the caller, and can also read written captions in the CapTel display window.” CapTel is the brand name for Ultratec’s captioned telephone. Ultratec also produces an Internet Protocol phone: the i800. Learn more about CapTel: http://www.captel.com/. There is another provider of captioned phone services: PhoneCaption. Those services are only provided with an Internet connection – either using a Cisco Internet Protocol phone, or using your computer. Learn more about Phone Caption: http://www.phonecaption.com/

Because captioned telephone services are still not mandated by the FCC, each state can and does make up their own rules governing the use of captioned telephone services within the state. Some states will only allow a specific number of captioned telephones to be used in the state, some states will not provide services to a phone that was purchased in a different state. So, I may not be able to take my captioned telephone with me when I travel, unlike those people who can use their cell phones or TTY’s across the country, regardless of where they were purchased.

It’s time for a federal mandate from the FCC for captioned telephone service. Without that mandate, we will continue to see each state treat captioned telephone services as a step child, and people who depend on captioned telephone services as second class citizens, begging for the services we need. It’s time to stand up for our right to equal access to telephone services. For people who are hard of hearing or late deafened who use captioned telephones, these are as close as we come to a phone that works like those phones that sit on the desk of people who have full hearing. Those of us who use and depend on these phones cannot take them for granted. We must stand up and be heard.

If you have experienced problems using your captioned phone services, please write in and let us know. We will take your story to the FCC where it can be acted upon. If you need to file a formal complaint, HLAA will help you do that. Email advocacy@hearingloss.org