News of Interest
The importance of Captioned Telephones being used only by those who need it, is summarized below.
May 17, 2018
Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Notice of Inquiry
CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123
Background: Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) is a form of telecommunications relay service (TRS) that allows individuals with hearing loss to both read captions and use their residual hearing to understand a telephone conversation.
Report and Order, Declaratory Ruling, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Notice of Inquiry
CG Docket Nos. 13-24 and 03-123
Background: Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) is a form of telecommunications relay service (TRS) that allows individuals with hearing loss to both read captions and use their residual hearing to understand a telephone conversation.
In recent years, use of IP CTS—which is paid for entirely through the Commission’s TRS Fund—has grown exponentially. As a result, this form of TRS now represents almost 80 percent of the total minutes compensated by the Fund—at a cost of nearly one billion dollars. As IP CTS usage continues to grow and the TRS Fund contribution base shrinks, potential waste in this program poses an ever-increasing threat to the sustainability of IP CTS and all forms of TRS.
This item therefore would adopt measures and explore others to ensure the program’s continued viability for people with hearing loss who need it.
The Consensus Report for Over the Counter Hearing aids has been completed. This report published in The Hearing Review, establishes the criteria for Over the Counter (OTC) hearing aids.
Elizabeth Warren and Rand Paul have introduced a bill that will allow Medicare to pay for a wider range of services from audiologists. Medicare now only pays for a limited number of audiological tests, and those must be prescribed by a medical doctor.
"Specially timed signals ease tinnitus symptoms in first test aimed at the condition’s root cause"
"Specially timed signals ease tinnitus symptoms in first test aimed at the condition’s root cause"