Hello
everyone,
Breaking
news... Good news CRTC made the decision to have VRS in Canada !! It will be
happening in Fall 2015. Please see the information below which I copy & paste
from CRTC website:
The
CRTC held a week long public hearing to determine whether Video Relay Service
(VRS) for Canadians who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired should be
offered. Today, the CRTC has issued its decision that VRS must be made
available throughout Canada, starting as early as the fall of 2015.
During
the public hearing, which involved the telecommunications industry, potential
VRS users and representatives of the VRS industry, a number of participants
suggested that rather than require telecommunications service providers to
create and provide their own VRS service, to best serve Canadians, an
independent administrative body should be set up to oversee the implementation
of VRS.
The
CRTC has decided in favour of this approach and is inviting comments on the
administrative body’s structure and mandate. This public consultation,
which was launched by a Telecom Notice of Consultation, will lead to
the creation of a VRS administrator with a Board of Directors that draws its
members from all VRS stakeholders, including both American Sign Language (ASL)
users,Langue des signes
québécoise (LSQ)
users, telecommunications service providers and others. For more information or
to participate, please visit the CRTC website (www.crtc.gc.ca).
VRS
must be available for users of both ASL and LSQ and it will be funded by the
National Contribution Fund. The fund was created in 2001 to subsidize local
telephone service in areas where the cost of providing this service is higher.
A maximum of $30 million from the fund will be allocated annually to support
VRS once it is in operation.
The
administrator will have the authority to make important decisions about how VRS
is implemented within the requirements established by the CRTC.
The
administrator is required, among other things, to:
·
Build a VRS model that meets the criteria set out by the CRTC in
its decision, including targeted hours of operation and technical requirements
with respect to the VRS platform and technology;
·
Ensure that VRS is delivered efficiently across Canada;
·
Develop the VRS service quality standards, privacy and
confidentiality policies, and a process for monitoring VRS implementation,
including dealing with complaints and collecting data;
·
Develop an education and outreach campaign to make Canadians aware
of when VRS will be available and how it works; and
·
Report to the CRTC as required.
For a
more detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of the
administrator, please see the decision, available on the CRTC’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca.
The
CRTC will ensure that both LSQ and ASL services launch on the same day, and
that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the quality and availability
of the service in both languages is comparable.
Once
VRS launches, telephone numbers will be issued to Canadians who require this
service due to a hearing or speech disability. All telephone users will be able
to contact VRS subscribers simply by calling their telephone number. In order
to receive a telephone number, VRS users will need to sign a user agreement
that certifies they have a hearing or speech disability, and that outlines
privacy and confidentiality policies, fair usage policies and information on
9-1-1 access. A user agreement is required so that the roles and
responsibilities of the user and the provider are understood.
Access
to basic VRS will be offered at no additional charge. Those who sign up for
this service will need to obtain and pay for their own high-speed Internet
service and an Internet-connected device needed for VRS, such as a computer, smartphone, tablet or videophone. The CRTC has
decided that no special VRS basic Internet packages will be mandated.
VRS may
not initially be offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The CRTC has directed
the administrator to prioritize high-traffic times and to aim to provide at
least 72 hours of VRS per week, with some service being provided every day of
the week by the end of the first year of operations. Individuals will only be
able to call 9-1-1 through VRS during these hours of operation.
VRS
users will be required to pay for any additional services, such as call
waiting, call display, video mail and long-distance calls. Where available,
these services are to be offered to a registered VRS user at rates similar to
those of corresponding voice telephone services. Long-distance services are to
be charged based on conversation minutes.
To
ensure that the system continues to meet the needs of all Canadians, the CRTC
will review the VRS system at the end of three years following its
implementation. By making the provision of VRS mandatory, the CRTC has
taken an important step towards improving access to the telecommunications
system for all Canadians, including those with hearing or speech disabilities.
We hope
that this information has been helpful. It is intended to summarize the key
elements of the decision and to serve as a quick reference for consumers. For
more information, please consult the decision, which is the authoritative
document setting out the CRTC’s determinations about VRS.
If
you’d like more information about VRS, including a list of frequently asked
questions and details about how you can participate in the next consultation,
please visit the CRTC online at www.crtc.gc.ca
Thanks!
Sheila
Montney
Co-Chairperson
MB
VRS
