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Welcome TASA Advisory Committee Meeting November 2, 2012

Welcome TASA Advisory Committee Meeting November 2, 2012. AGENDA. 1:30 – 1:45 Reading of Meeting Notice – Cindy Miller Initial Meeting Notes - Bob Casey Introductions – Bob Casey Participant Appearances 1:45 – 2:15 FCC & PSC Updates - Bob Casey

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Welcome TASA Advisory Committee Meeting November 2, 2012

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  1. Welcome TASA Advisory Committee Meeting November 2, 2012

  2. AGENDA TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012 • 1:30 – 1:45 Reading of Meeting Notice – Cindy Miller Initial Meeting Notes - Bob Casey Introductions – Bob Casey ParticipantAppearances • 1:45 – 2:15 FCC & PSC Updates - Bob Casey • 2:15 – 2:45 FTRI FY 2011/2012 Annual Report- James Forstall • 2:45 – 3.00 Break • 3:00 – 3:30 AT&T Relay – Matt Myrick – Channel Manager – Customer Information Services  TRS Statistics  CapTel Statistics  TRS Relay Results  Outreach Performed  New Call Center • 3:30 – 4:00 Other Matters? • 4:00 Conclude

  3. Initial meeting Notes • TASA committee members Kim Schur, Cheryl Rhodes, and Jon Ziev will be participating by phone during today’s meeting. • A transcript will be made of today’s meeting, and provided to all TASA committee members. • Please make sure your microphone is on when speaking. The green light should be on. • Please silence your cell phones during today’s meeting. • Please state your name before speaking so we know who is making comments for the record. • For Committee members who will be claiming travel costs, please make sure to fill out the travel reimbursement form. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  4. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  5. PSC Contacts • Bob Casey, Public Utilities SupervisorOffice of Telecommunications(850) 413-6974 - Voice(850) 413-6975 - Faxbcasey@psc.state.fl.us • Curtis Williams, Regulatory Analyst IVOffice of Telecommunications(850) 413-6924 - Voice(850) 413-6925 - FAXcjwillia@psc.state.fl.us • Cindy Miller, AttorneyOffice of the General Counsel(850) 413-6082 - Voice(850) 413-6083 - Faxcmiller@psc.state.fl.us TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  6. FCC & PSC Updatessince April 27, 2012 TASA Meeting TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  7. FCC Number vs DA Number on Orders • Decisions are issued in two different ways: by the authority of the entire Commission, with each Commissioner voting; or by authority delegated to the Bureaus and Offices of the Commission. • If the decision is one decided by the Commission, it is identified by an FCC number. The FCC number is comprised of two digits indicating the year, and a number of up to 3 digits indicating the sequence, such as FCC 08-138. • If the decision is one issued through authority delegated to the FCC Bureaus and Offices, it is identified by a DA number. The DA number is constructed similarly to an FCC number, with two initial digits indicating the year, and a number of up to 4 digits indicating the sequence such as DA 08-1476. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  8. Order DA 12-996Released June 26, 2012 • The FCC, adopted per-minute compensation rates to be paid from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Fund for the 2012-13 Fund year for all forms of TRS. • As of July 1, 2012, the per-minute rates for interstate TRS are: • $2.0304 for interstate traditional TRS; • $3.1614 for interstate Speech-to-Speech relay service; • $1.7730 for interstate CTS and for IP CTS; • $1.2855 for IP Relay; • $6.2390 for Tier I (first 50,000 monthly VRS minutes) interim VRS rates; • $6.2335 for Tier II (VRS minutes between 50,001 and 500,000) interim VRS rates; and, • $5.0668 for Tier III (VRS minutes above 500,000) interim VRS rates. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  9. Order DA 12-1130Released July 13, 2012 • Purple Communications requested a review of the interstate relay administrator’s (Rolka Loube Saltzer) decision to withhold reimbursement for IP Relay for days that Purple did not comply with the FCC’s speed-of-answer (SOA) requirement during the four-month period of July-October 2011. • TRS providers must answer at least 85% of all calls within 10 seconds (the 85/10 standard), with compliance measured on a daily basis. • The FCC found that Purple failed to comply with the FCC’s mandatory minimum standard governing speed of answer for TRS calls. • The FCC rejected Purple’s assertion that compliance with the FCC’s SOA rule should be determined using a legal standard of “substantial compliance,” and Purple’s request for waiver of that rule. • In this case, the FCC decided to use a graduated, or sliding scale, to reimburse days that Purple missed compliance with the 85/10 standard. However, the FCC placed all providers on notice that, for violations occurring after the date of this order, the FCC does not intend to utilize a sliding scale approach with respect to any SOA violations. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  10. Order DA 12-1318Released August 10, 2012 • The interstate relay administrator denied VRS reimbursement to Healinc for July 2011 and August 2011 VRS minutes for the failure of its subcontractors to identify Healinc as the eligible VRS provider, or identify that the URLs used by the subcontractors were associated with Healinc brands or sub-brands. • The administrator released payment for those minutes reported with the URL which Healinc indicated was associated with its own brand. • On September 29, 2011, the FCC issued citations against Healinc’s subcontractors for: • (1) holding themselves out to the public as offering and providing VRS when the Company was not an Eligible Provider; • (2) for not clearly identifying an Eligible Provider as the entity that a VRS user is using when the Company handled a VRS call initiated through the Company's URL; and • (3) for routing a VRS call through the Company's URL, a URL not used by an Eligible Provider for its brand or sub-brand(s). TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  11. Order DA 12-1505Released September 18, 2012 • The FCC granted the CSDVRS Recertification Application on a conditional basis for a period of sixty (60) days, pending confirmation of CSDVRS’s compliance with all applicable rules and orders. • Before granting further certification, the FCC must determine that CSDVRS is qualified to receive compensation from the Fund and that grant of such additional certification would be consistent with the objective of preventing waste, fraud, and abuse to the Fund, as embodied in our VRS rules and orders. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  12. Order DA 12-1644Released October 15, 2012 • The FCC seeks comment on matters raised in recent filings submitted by CSDVRS, LLC, a VRS provider. • In order for the FCC to be in a position to set new rates as it moves forward with the next phase of VRS reform, it also seeks comment on a proposal by the Fund administrator, Rolka Loube Saltzer Associates (RLSA), to modify VRS compensation rates. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  13. PSC Updates • On November 30, 2011, a Request for Proposal was released for a provider of Florida Relay service. • On February 14, 2012, the Commission selected AT&T as the Florida Relay provider effective June 1, 2012. • On April 9, 2012, the Commission signed a contract with AT&T Relay Service for a period of three years with four one-year options. • The contract includes a new Relay Center which opened in Miami on August 14, 2012 TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  14. PSC Updates • By Order No. PSC-12-0257-PAA-TP, issued May 25, 2012, the PSC approved a fiscal year 2012-2013 annual budget of $11,725,413 for FTRI effective July 1, 2012. • The $0.11 current surcharge be maintained for the fiscal 2012-2013 year. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  15. PSC Updates • Staff filed the five year FCC state Recertification of Florida’s Relay program on September 25, 2012. • The state certification process is intended to ensure that TRS is provided in a uniform manner throughout the United States and territories. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  16. National Association for State Relay Administration (NASRA) • NASRA held is 2012 annual conference in Orlando from October 22nd through October 24th. • Florida PSC Chairman Ronald Brisé presented the Keynote Address on the opening day of the conference. • His Presentation was titled “Are States Meeting the Needs of the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind, and Speech-Impaired Community?” TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  17. Topics covered in Chairman Brisé’s Keynote Address • How important is Relay service in Florida? • Important Statistics About Hearing Loss. • Tinnitus (pronounced tin-uh-tis or tin·nigh·tus). • What is Florida doing about it? • Florida TASA Advisory Committee. • FTRI Accomplishments and RDCs. • Florida Relay Funding. • Florida Relay contract RFP Process. • New Miami AT&T Relay Center. • National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  18. How important is Relay service in Florida? • As of April 2012, Florida had an approximate population of 19,073,710. • It is estimated that over 3 million Floridians are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-impaired. • Florida is the fourth largest state in the U.S. and has the second highest percentage of population who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. • That means almost 16% of Florida’s population can benefit from some form of relay service. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  19. Important Statistics About Hearing Loss • Approximately 1 of every 1,000 infants in Florida are born deaf or hard of hearing. • 93% of deaf children are born into hearing families while only 7% are born into deaf families. • Approximately 17% (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss. • 50% of all Baby Boomers are expected to have hearing loss. • 1 out of 3 people over age 65 have some degree of hearing loss. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  20. Important Statistics About Hearing Loss (cont’d) • More than 70,000 individuals in the United States (including children and adults) have cochlear implants. • It is estimated that over 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job. • Only 1 out of every 5 people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one. • Approximately 5% of American children 18 years of age and younger suffer from a hearing loss. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  21. tinnitus (pronounced tin-uh-tis or tin·nigh·tus) • Tinnitus is the perception of sound where no external source exists. Those who are affected describe tinnitus as a “ringing, hissing, buzzing or whooshing,” perceived in one or both ears. • According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), tinnitus is the #1 service-connected disability for returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan (three consecutive years), and for veterans from all periods of service, accounting for over 840,000 individuals. • Tinnitus is most often the result of extreme noise exposure from either a single impulse noise or the accumulation of noise exposure. • Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) detonate at decibel levels which are loud enough to immediately leave soldiers with a painful – and constant – reminder of their service. • At the current rate of increase, the number of veterans service-connected for tinnitus will increase to over 1.5 million by 2014. TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  22. Questions or Comments? TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

  23. Next… FTRI’s Updates James Forstall FTRI Executive Director TASA Meeting - November 2, 2012

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