Author Archives: pbravin

Editorial #88-VRS Funding Per Minute or Per Customer? That is What the FCC is Looking At

The FCC has extended the current VRS rates into next year until they have come up with a funding mechanism to pay for VRS.

One of the things they are now looking at and is under discussion is changing the reimbursement to VRS providers from a per minute basis to a per customer basis. That could mean VRS providers will be paid a flat fee per customer served, without regard for the number of minutes each customer uses the service.

This represents a possible major change in how VRS is provided. Is this a good idea? Is this going to be fair? Will this affect the quality of service for deaf and hard of hearing consumers? This requires some thought and further discussion.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

On this Independence Day…Thoughts from Dr. Z

Happy Independence Day from Dr. Z!!

Dr. Z was browsing for a quote most appropriate for today and he came across this…

“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.”–Louis D. Brandeis

Happiness is like a warm puppy—the idea of being able to communicate via video anytime anytime with any device is now reality and this brings happiness to us all at ZVRS for making this possible.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z (Philip W. Bravin) is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.

Going on Vacation this Summer? Tips for Using Your Videophone from Dr. Z

Summertime is around us — July 4th is the official start of vacation season…

Vacation takes many forms–driving on the road, hopping from one place to another–or you would go to one specific destination, staying at a beach house, or a hotel, or a rented house.

What videophone should you use? The ideal one would be the iPad2, followed by the iPhone, iPod Touch or the various Android models you see on our website (www.zvrs.com.)

The key to successful video calls while on the road is a good wifi connection. This is not guaranteed. One McDonalds may have it good while the next one won’t. One Marriott Courtyard may have it good while the next one won’t. It is hard to predict. A good video communication setup requires a good and robust wifi connection. You can test it with our bandwidth tool. Here is the link to it. If its low, then the video won’t look that good or may not work. Some wifi is free, some wifi you would have to pay.

If you are renting a beach house or a vacation house, most residential wifi connections are good. But some homes do not have wifi, so check in advance.

Dr. Z wishes you all a happy summer vacation. Drive carefully and safely.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.

Editorial #87-Verizon Stops Unlimited Data Plan–What’s Next? Why is Dr. Z Worried? (Updated)

First it was AT&T and now its Verizon. There are rumblings other carriers might join. It’s not limited to smartphones, but your cable carrier as well. Time Warner and Comcast are reportedly looking into capping their data plans. Some carriers still allow unlimited data in their plans.

Why is Dr. Z concerned?

When we do video communication, we do not use the audio on the phone or the cable, we use the data portion of the phone or internet on cable. When the carriers cap data, this means if we talk more than the cap is allowed (such as 2 GB), we will have to pay extra for more data that we use in order to talk freely. Most audio plans have monthly minutes which can carry over and the minutes are for 300-600-900 minutes. 2GB of data will probably be good for about 10 hours (600 minutes) of video communication, maybe a bit more.

Dr. Z thinks it’s time for consumers to come to the FCC and ask that the carriers treat the deaf and hard of hearing consumers who use video communication to be treated appropriately and be functionally equivalent as the hearing consumers. There is precedent for this–in the TTY days, ATT used to give deaf and hard of hearing users a discount because it took longer to communicate via typing.

Let us keep an eye on those developments and tell the FCC not to limit our video communication because of the data caps!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #86-Wells Fargo Fined for Not Allowing Relay Calls

This is a victory for deaf and hard of hearing consumers!

Dr. Z is a customer of Wells Fargo and he experienced situations over the years when they refused to accept video relay calls, instead asking him to use an old fashioned TTY! So he had to use his TTY to make a direct call only to find out Wells Fargo didn’t answer his phone.

He and other deaf individuals filed complaints to the DOJ and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). The NAD, as a result, led the way in paving a settlement which required Wells Fargo to accept video relay calls.

The point here is–if you experience some discriminatory activity, do not just sit back, one needs to scream and complain and take action–this is the only way to change things for the better.

Many thanks to the NAD for this achievement!

For more information on this settlement, click this link.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #85-Traveling Overseas this Summer? You Need to Register in Order to Use VRS

Do you plan to travel overseas this summer?

Do you plan to use VRS to call home in the US from overseas?

If so, you must register with your VRS provider, as per FCC rules.

Here is the link to register with ZVRS so that you can call home from overseas this summer.

If you do not register, the video interpreter will not be able to handle your call. So register before you travel overseas!

Also, your registration is good for 4 weeks–if you travel more than 4 weels, you will need to re-register.

Happy traveling!

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #84-What is VRI? How is it different from VRS?

Some of you asked if you could use VRS when you visit your doctor’s office or meet with your car dealer in person.

The answer is no–you need to use something called Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). VRI allows you to use video in the same room with a hearing person, with the interpreter at a remote location. Is VRI free? The answer is no, because it is interpreting–it is like when you hire a live interpreter when you meet with a hearing person.

VRS is different–because you and the hearing person are not in the same room.

Who made those rules?

The FCC has mandated they will not pay for VRI services. They will pay for VRS services.

Many providers are offering VRI, including ZVRS! What ZVRS offers is different from the others–ZVRS offers on-demand VRI, meaning you do not have to call to make an appointment to have an interpreter ready. When you need one, just call and the interpreter will show up on your screen! For more information, go to this link.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #83-The Next Few Weeks are Important at the FCC for VRS

The next few weeks at the FCC, there will be several decisions that will have an impact on the future of VRS.

These include:

1) certification of providers who have asked for waivers…some providers may not qualify for waivers and as a result may not provide VRS services

2) 866 numbers may or may not be allowed to be used for free…it is possible that the FCC may require people to pay for the cost of maintaining their toll free numbers

3) while the FCC has extended current rates for the “time being”, it is possible that the FCC may revise rates for the 2011-2012 year sometime in the next few months

There may be other rulings that will not include the above. Dr. Z will keep you posted on this.

Dr. Z cares about your communication access.

Disclaimer: Dr. Z is currently the Vice-President of Marketing at CSDVRS, LLC.

Editorial #82-Providers and White-Label Providers File Flurry of Waivers Before the FCC Regarding Certification

There are over 10 filings by various providers to the FCC regarding certification.

Since the FCC is tightening (making more strict) certification procedures for currently uncertified providers, both the uncertified providers and the certified providers who are providing “white-label” services for uncertified providers have filed letters expressing justification for waiving them temporarily in order for them to do VRS service.

The list of waivers being filed can be found at this link.

The FCC has until June 1st to act on those waivers. In the event those waivers are not acted upon or are denied, those uncertified providers will not be able to provide VRS services after June 1st.

The following providers are certified by the FCC as of this date (May 23, 2011): AT&T, CAC,
Hands On, Sorenson, Sprint, Healinc, GoAmerica, SNAP, and CSDVRS.

Anyone not on the above list are considered white-label and need to be waived by the FCC to continue to perform VRS services after June 1st.

Dr. Z  (and the FCC) cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.

Editorial #81-Providers and Consumer Organizations File Comments to FCC Re Keeping Rates Same for 2011-2012

The FCC has asked for comments on their proposal to keep the VRS rates the same until further notice for the 2011-2012 funding cycle. This does not mean the FCC will keep the rates for the entire year and they could change the rates in mid-year. Below are comments filed by VRS providers and consumer organizations in response to the FCC proposal on rates.

Snap:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021648855

Purple:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021648688

Sorenson:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021648789

CSDVRS:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021648785

Consumer Organizations:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021648685

Dr. Z  (and the FCC) cares about your communication access.

Disclosure: Dr. Z is a employee with CSDVRS, currently its Vice-President of Marketing.