
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).
Most recent headlines
14/03/2025
BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid has expanded its executive leadership team (ELT) with the appointment of three experienced executives: Tom Sharma as chief technology off...
14/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. TVU Networks, a pioneer in live video production and a leader in cloud-based media solutions, is marking its 20th anniversary at the 2025 NAB ...
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....