Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) allow persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have speech disabilities to communicate by telephone in a manner that is functionally equivalent to telephone services used by persons without such disabilities. Under Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, the Federal Communications Commission must ensure the provision of TRS. TRS is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. territories for local, long distance, and international calls.

In all forms of TRS, communications assistants (CAs) or other authorized intermediaries such as automated speech recognition (ASR) facilitate telephone calls between persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities and other individuals. There is no cost to the users. TRS providers are compensated from either a state or a federal fund, which is administered by the TRS Fund Administrator. Some forms of TRS have voice and hearing carry over options so callers may use their own voices or residual hearing if they prefer to do so. The TRS consumer guide discusses foreign language relay services.

There are several types of TRS that are available. For more information about the rules applicable to each type, select one of the following:

• Captioned Telephone Service
• Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service
• Internet Protocol Relay Service
• Speech-to-Speech Relay Service
• TTY Relay Service
• Video Relay Service

General TRS Rules, Guides, and Reports

• Rules
  • Telecommunications Relay Services - CFR Rule: 47 CFR § 64 Subpart F
  • Telecommunications Relay Services Emergency Calling Requirements - CFR Rule: 47 CFR § 9 Subpart E
  • TRS Customer Proprietary Network Information – CFR Rule: 47 CFR § 64 Subpart EE
• Consumer Guides
  • TRS Consumer Guide
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Communications Services for Incarcerated People with Disabilities
• Reports
  • Annual reports of TRS Informal Complaints
    • 2014-2015 Word || PDF
    • 2013-2014 Word || PDF
  • HIPAA Guidance
    • Department of Health & Human Services guidance

• Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) Recommendations

  • 10-18-24 Best Practices for Quality TRS for Individuals With Multiple Disabilities
    PDF

   

  See TRS History Docket for all TRS documents.