Companies Fined $.4 Million for Failing to Handle 9 Calls

Media Contact:

Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509

will.wiquist@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

COMPANIES FINED $1.4 MILLION FOR FAILING TO ACCEPT 911

CALLS FOR AMERICANS WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING

Hamilton, InnoCaption, & Sprint Admit Failing to Properly Handle IP CTS 911 Calls

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2015 - The Federal Communications Commission's

Enforcement Bureau today reached settlements totaling $1.4 million with Hamilton Relay,

InnoCaption, and Sprint Corp., resolving investigations into the companies' inability to handle

911 calls through applications used by callers who are hard of hearing. Over periods varying from

5 weeks to approximately 10 months, the companies were not only unable to relay 911 calls from

Americans who are hard of hearing but were unaware of this issue until a Commission

investigation revealed the problem.

All Americans must be able to reach 911 in an emergency, said Travis LeBlanc, Chief of the

Enforcement Bureau. "Todays settlements reaffirm our commitment to ensure that the hard of

hearing community has essential 911 service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only are we

fining these companies for failing to provide this vital services, but we are assuring that they

provide it going forward.

Individuals who can use their own voice but have difficulty hearing utilize a Telephone Relay

Service (TRS) called Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) to engage in a

telephone conversation using an Internet Protocol-enabled device that allows callers to

simultaneously listen while reading captions of what the other party is saying. Companies that

provide IP CTS do not charge consumers for the service, but are instead eligible to receive

compensation from the federally-mandated TRS Fund as long as they have complied with the

FCC's TRS Rules and orders.

The FCC's Enforcement Bureau and Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau discovered,

through test calls made in 2014, that the companies were not able to accept and handle 911

emergency calls made using IP CTS applications, as required by Commission rules governing

TRS. The Enforcement Bureau's investigation showed that the amount of time the companies

were out of compliance varied. The Bureau also found that the companies submitted inaccurate

requests to the TRS Fund administrator for compensation provided to users of IP CTS

applications during the period the companies were not in compliance with the emergency call

handling rules.

As part of the settlement, the companies have admitted that their actions violated Commission

rules and have agreed to adopt robust compliance plans. The plans all contain measures to ensure

that Hamilton, InnoCaption, and Sprint all adhere to the FCC's emergency call handling

requirements for IP CTS providers, inform and educate consumers on emergency calling, and

strengthen policies and procedures for detection and notification of 911 call handling issues. In

addition, the settlements require each company to develop and implement risk management

processes to:

Identify risks that could result in 911 call failures;

Protect against such risks;

Detect future 911 call failures;

Respond to such failures with remedial actions, including notification to consumers; and

Recover from such failures on a timely basis.

Hamilton, InnoCaption, and Sprint also each agree to waive all rights and claims to

reimbursements from the TRS Fund associated with IP CTS applications during the time that 911

calls could not be handled. To resolve the investigations, Sprint will pay $1,175,000, Hamilton

will pay $235,000, and InnoCaption will pay $25,000, and each company will file detailed

compliance reports with the Enforcement Bureau.

Today's settlements are the first enforcement actions against TRS providers involving the

emergency call handling requirements. Users of TRS who experience problems with making an

emergency call, or the handling of an emergency call by their TRS provider, can file a complaint

with the FCC online at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us, or by contacting the FCC's

Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-

835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or by writing to:

Federal Communications Commission

Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division

445 12th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20554

The Hamilton Consent Decree is available at: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-

15-1043A1.pdf

The InnoCaption Consent Decree is available at: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/

DA-15-1045A1.pdf

The Sprint Consent Decree is available at: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-15-

1040A1.pdf

###

Office of Media Relations: (202) 418-0500

TTY: (888) 835-5322

Twitter: @FCC

www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order

constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).

LINK:	http://www.fcc.gov/document/cos-fined-14m-failing-accept-911-calls-hea...
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