HD42 - The Operation of the Virginia Relay Center


Executive Summary:
The Virginia Code § 56-484.5 authorizes the establishment of a telecommunications relay center in the Commonwealth. This service has been operated as the Virginia Relay Center (VRC) under contract with American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) since February 1, 1991 from a site in Norton, Virginia. Currently, the VRC relays an average of 90,000 calls per month. In addition the center handles at least some relay traffic for six other states. To provide this service, AT&T employs more than 170 individuals in the Norton area.

Since its inception, the VRC has continued to experience growth, both in the number of calls handled by the Center and in the technology available to enhance the service. In September 1994, Governor Allen announced the extension of the VRC contract through February 29, 1996.

The following recommendations, based primarily on consumer input and statistical analysis, are offered:

1) The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) and the
State Corporation Commission (SCC), in conjunction with the VRC and consumers, should investigate current Voice Carryover (VCO) technology provided through the VRC and should provide recommendations for enhancing the quality of this vital feature. The investigation should include: methods to decrease set-up time; the provision of VCO in conjunction with ASCII (the communication code used by personal computers); a more seamless exchange (no obvious "switching" of equipment); and the provision of VCO that does not degrade the vocal quality of the speaker.

2) The VDDHH and the SEC, in conjunction with consumers, should provide input to and coordinate with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish standard nationwide "N-1-1" numbers for voice and text telephone access to the VRC. These numbers would replace the existing toll-free "800" access numbers for the VRC. ("N-1-1" is a term meaning 3-digit access like 9-1-1, for emergency, and 4-1-1, for directory assistance.)

3) Initially, the gubernatorially-appointed Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Advisory Board was invaluable to the establishment of the VRC. Over the past three years, the combination of technical expertise and identification of consumer service needs enabled the VDDHH and SEC to implement a quality service. However, as the Center has matured, the need for input from an advisory entity has shifted towards consumer input and away from specific technical expertise. Therefore, the VDDHH and SCC recommend that Code section 56-484.7.B. be reviewed by the Fall of 1995 to include increased consumer participation on the Board.