Dr. Z and You

The deaf community and the FCC are confused.

Sorenson is telling the FCC to please not cut rates or VRS will never be the same.

That’s because Sorenson is creating this mess.

While crying to the FCC not to cut rates and at the same time, behind the FCC’s back, Sorenson is giving away iPad’s, laptops and TV’s to consumers in an attempt to port them back. This has nothing to do with functional equivalence, but a pure attempt to steal customers from other providers. The other providers have no choice but to try to do those things to keep their customers. This giveaway is costing Sorenson money and at the same time, they’re telling the FCC not to cut rates–this is in effect using public money to subsidize the free equipment they’re throwing away at customers. Does this make sense?

The whole thing is insane–this has nothing to do with VRS as a service. Dr. Z hopes the FCC is listening. Public money for VRS needs to focus on VRS as a service–certified interpreters, quick answer time and interoperability should be the focus, not free stuff.

Thanks for listening.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

When hearing people call other hearing people and they can’t answer right away, it goes to their voice mail. It doesn’t matter if its AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. Anyone can leave voicemail.

For us deaf people, we can’t leave videomail on Sorenson devices if we use a non-Sorenson device. All the other providers except Sorenson can leave messages without problems. Sorenson is preventing us all from being equal with hearing people or making us second class citizens. This is not functionally equivalent. All ZVRS phones and software can receive and leave messages without problems, but we can’t leave messages on Sorenson devices.

The FCC has received complaints on this and let us hope they’re listening and doing something to make Sorenson do so.

Thanks for listening.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

The FCC is going to issue some orders and some new processes related to VRS any day soon.

Providers and consumers have been knocking on the FCC’s door to present their cases and mitigate any effect the new orders and processes may have on VRS as a service as we know it. This is like a ping pong game, with people looking at the ball going back and forth–VRS reform is going to happen, like it or not. The last thing we want to happen is to have it change VRS as we know and appreciate it.

Bottom line–the rules must dictate what is best for the consumer. What does this mean?

–freedom of choice of devices, without getting stuck with a device that one cannot use or communicate with other devices
–freedom of choice of software, with address books being portable (able to move) from one provider to another
–freedom of obstruction–without worrying if a call gets blocked, gets a black screen (full interoperability)
–freedom to make a call anywhere, anytime
–freedom of being tied to a remote control unit
–freedom of choice of providers, picking the provider that provides the best features and interpreters

This is ZVRS’s position-meaning you can go into a store and get the device you want and go ahead and make a call with a provider that has the best interpreters and features, so easy, so simple. Why go through the hassle of having a provider set it up for you and have them control what features and what you want on your device. This is a free country–we are FREE people, we should do what we want, not what others tell us what we should do!

Heres a link to the FCC’s postings–read on–(link)

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

As always, Dr. Z likes to put up thoughts for holidays..this is something Dr. Z clipped fron an unattributed source on the web…here’s wishing you a nice thanksgiving from Dr. Z and his colleagues at ZVRS…

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to stop for a moment once a year and remember to give thanks. It’s a time to be grateful for one’s health, family, friends, job, home and having food on the table.

Take a few moments as you read through this lens and to share what you will be giving thanks for this Thanksgiving.

We will be taking a few moments with our family to give thanks and say our “Gratefuls” before eating, as a reminder of all that we have to be grateful for, the good and the not so good.

Remember “In all things, give thanks.”

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

The FCC has issued a public notice for changes to the VRS program. The changes are not in place yet. The FCC is asking for comments before they decide on the changes. Some of the suggested changes are major and one of them involves a rate reduction.

Wow! The Public Notice from the FCC has generated a lot of discussion via email and social media like Facebook. This is a healthy scenario. Rarely has such a matter on public policy generated a lot of dialogue in the deaf and hard of hearing community. But there lies the danger of some parties trying to mislead or distort the message. One website (www.savemyvrs.com) seems to be neutral representing all VRS companies, but it is backed by Sorenson. The whois lookup for the ISP indicates that the owner of the domain is Sorenson:

Another website claiming to be neutral is vrsca.org.  While the whois does not indicate it is Sorenson-related, the ISP is located in Utah:

It is common knowledge that VRSCA is funded by Sorenson.  While the domain name “vrsca.org” seems to indicate it is a non-profit organization, a lookup on guidestar.com does not bring up VRSCA or Video Relay Services Consumer Association.  Doing a Google search on VRSCA, there are no hits when it comes to organization headquarters, nor does it have a Board of Directors or the like.  It is not a separate organization; rather it is an arm of some organization, Sorenson in this case.   (Disclaimer:  I have some very good friends who are part of VRSCA–this is in no way a personal affront on you folks, but merely pointing out the association between VRSCA and Sorenson. I still love you folks on a personal level.)

Both Sorenson and VRSCA have embarked on an offensive disparaging the FCC public notice, trying to influence deaf and hard of hearing people to follow their party line.

While Dr. Z has some concerns about the notice, he feels the public needs to discuss this matter among themselves and decide what is best for the when it comes to VRS.  The bottom line in all of this is “functional equivalence”–meaning what hearing people get in the way of their communication needs, we deaf and hard of hearing people legally must have those.  What is the cost of functional equivalence?  What are the parameters of functional equivalence? To use an example–speed of answer.  The FCC mandates 80% of all calls must be answered in 120 seconds measured monthly.  If they cut rates too much, providers need to cut interpreters, then this increases the possibility of not meeting the answer time requirement.  Where is the line between rates and functional equivalence?  I think this is the crux of the ongoing discussion.  VRS providers, of course need to realize a profit margin to create innovation and enhance features that promote functional equivalence.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people like hearing people also need a functionally equivalent market.  When hearing people go into a phone store (ATT, Verizon, etc.) they see 50-100 phones in front to choose from.  Deaf and hard-of-hearing people should have the same choice, not being locked into one or two. Those phones do not have to be specially designed for video calls.  The software inside those phones can do a lot of wonderful and great things. (Dr. Z has been developing software since he attended college-45-50 years ago, that’s how old Dr. Z is. ) Dr. Z understands the power of software and he’s still developing software to this day.

We need a functionally equivalent service and a functionally equivalent market.  This should be the objective of the FCC’s Public Notice. And rates should be sensitive to the concept of functional equivalence.

Let the dialogue continue.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

What is “interoperability”?

It means for VRS that “devices from different vendors and providers work with each other.”

Gallaudet’s Technology Access Program did some research and made a presentation at the recent NAD conference. In doing the research, they set up a lab and did over 800 calls between devices from all VRS providers. Some VRS providers were better than others and Dr. Z has included a link to part of their presentation below:

Excerpt of NAD Presentation on Interoperability (summary-brief document)

Full Version NAD Presentation on Interoperability (technical-huge document)

We understand that the FCC has looked into this issue and it is Dr. Z’s hope that all VP’s (videophones) will be able to communicate with other VP’s like hearing people have with their cell phones.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

***SINCE THIS IS STILL HAPPENING, DR. Z IS REMINDING EVERYONE ABOUT THIS. THIS WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS EDITORIAL #102. THANKS. ****

Dr. Z is still seeing people use 866 numbers and giving them to their friends, relatives and doctors.

Dr. Z wants to remind everyone that FREE 800/866 numbers for VRS will stop on November 21, 2012. All VRS providers have been asked by the FCC to stop servicing 800/866 numbers on that date.

If you want to keep your 800/866 numbers, you will have to pay a monthly fee.

IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE TO A LOCAL NUMBER, YOUR DOCTORS, YOUR RELATIVES AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE YOUR 800/866 NUMBER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU!

What should you do? Just give out your local number, instead of your 800/866 number. Local numbers are free.

In the next few weeks, ZVRS will make a list available of who you need to contact to service your 800/866 numbers for a monthly fee.

Here’s the link to the FCC web page on this subject.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach at CSDVRS, LLC.

We have heard the expression “deaf people are experts at being deaf.”

In any event, Dr. Z has made an observation.

When dealing with hearing people, it is usually better for a deaf or hard of hearing person to explain situations related to how they need to deal with things as a result of their hearing and communication differences rather than deferring to a hearing person to do it for them.

In dealing with the FCC, VRS companies use lawyers or representatives in various meetings and discussions with the FCC on various issues related to VRS.

What is interesting is the following:

- ZVRS has Jeff Rosen, a deaf lawyer representing them
- Convo has David Behar, a deaf representative and a former congressional legislative assistant representing them
- Purple has Kelby Brick, a deaf lawyer representing them
- Snap has Nancy Bloch, a deaf representative and a former executive director of the National Association of the Deaf representing them

We all can figure out by now that the largest VRS provider, Sorenson, is conspicuously absent from the above list. They have a bunch of hearing lawyers from a law firm working with them in addition to an in house regulatory person who is hearing too.

Can a hearing person explain and defend how VRS is best for us deaf and hard of hearing folks? You decide.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach.

Something strange is happening.

There have been more comments than usual on the FCC comments page related to VRS. They have been coming from non-certified interpreters trying to protect their jobs with some VRS providers, Sorenson for one. (Link to FCC comments)

First of all, would you go to a doctor that is not licensed by your state and allow the non-licensed doctor to examine you and prescribe medicine for you?

This is why we have licensing and certification. While is is not 100% foolproof, it offers us a level of confidence that those professionals whom have at least been reviewed for their competency to work with us all.

Then the VRS providers review and evaluate the interpreters once again to be sure they can do the tough work that comes with VRS interpreting.

What about those non-certified interpreters? Some of them get training, some of them just graduated from school. They are evaluated by their respective VRS companies and placed to work if the VRS providers feel they can do the job.

One of the issues being brought up is national vs. state certification. Is one better than the other? Some states have better certification processes than the other, but with VRS we do not know in which state the VRS interpreter is working when we make such a call. This is why the FCC is asking questions about national certification for interpreters.

Why are non-certified interpreters allowed to do it; bypassing the certification process that is in place to insure we deaf and hard of hearing consumers have the protection and level of confidence in the profession of interpreting? It is like allowing non-licensed doctors to perform procedures.

Where does this leave us as deaf and heard of hearing consumers?

Dr. Z says we deserve the best, using certified interpreters. We should not be at the mercy of non-certified interpreters. We deserve the legal and professional protection offered as part of the certification process.

ZVRS goes on record–using only certified interpreters. You can call ZVRS 888-888-1116 to see for yourself as to how much of a difference a certified interpreter is.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is associated with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Business Development and Outreach.