Sorenson Communications Urges VRS Users to Choose Default Provider by FCC Deadline

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sorenson Communications^®, the leading provider of Video Relay Service (VRS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use sign language to communicate, today urged VRS consumers to respond to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) requirement to choose a default VRS provider.

“Choosing one number from the leading VRS provider, Sorenson Communications, simplifies the process. I have given my number to my hearing family and friends. They can keep it in their speed dial list and I can keep it on my contact card for years to come!”

The FCC urged VRS users to choose a default VRS provider by March 31, 2009, but has allowed a three-month “permissive” calling period during which the VRS user can still place calls. Callers who have not chosen a default VRS provider by June 30 will not be able to place routine VRS calls after this date.

A recent FCC order mandating that relay services be more “functionally-equivalent” to those used by hearing individuals outlines new responsibilities for both VRS providers and VRS users. Under the order, VRS users are required to choose a VRS provider that will, by “default,” route all of their VRS calls. Once the default VRS provider has been selected, the VRS provider is required to assign the VRS user a local 10-digit number. After obtaining the VRS user’s location information, the VRS provider is also required to provide the user with Enhanced 911 (E911) services. VRS users are required to keep their address information current with their default VRS provider so that an up-to-date address can be passed through to the closest emergency response center should an emergency call be placed.

Under current FCC rules, VRS users can change default providers at any time and can transfer, or “port,” a local 10-digit number they have been assigned to another VRS provider, a convenience hearing callers have been enjoying for years.

Sorenson Communications’ Vice President of Community Relations Ron Burdett notes the significance of this ruling. “In the past if a deaf caller was dissatisfied with a VRS service and wanted to change to another, the deaf caller had to change his or her videophone number to one that worked with the new provider’s videophone device. Numbers could not be transferred to other providers and there was no standard way to call.”

Burdett explains that obtaining multiple numbers from multiple VRS providers is inconvenient and complicated to manage. “Choosing one number from the leading VRS provider, Sorenson Communications, simplifies the process. I have given my number to my hearing family and friends. They can keep it in their speed dial list and I can keep it on my contact card for years to come!

“Just as hearing callers opt for phone carriers that best meet their needs, so will deaf individuals find that choosing one default VRS provider is advantageous as they come to value the unique products and services that the provider offers,” Burdett says. “When you choose Sorenson Communications, in addition to all of the basic ‘default provider’ services, you also get support for Sorenson videophone equipment and Sorenson ‘Gold Services,’ which include many valuable features, such as Contacts Lists, Call History, SignMail^®, and Redial and Speed Dial.”

When you select Sorenson as your default provider of VRS or IP Relay, Sorenson will help you choose a 10-digit telephone number for use with that service. To select Sorenson as your default provider before the permissive calling period ends on June 30, 2009, call 800-659-4810. Your new number will be portable to another provider. To properly route 911 calls to local emergency service providers, Sorenson must have your correct street address. You can update your address on your Sorenson videophone or by calling 800-659-4810 or visiting www.sorensonvrs.com/moving. Sorenson will confirm receipt of this address information. For more information about 10-digit numbers and the limitations and risks associated with using Sorenson's VRS or IP Relay services to place a 911 call, please visit Sorenson’s Web site at: www.sorenson.com/disclaimer.

About Sorenson Communications

Sorenson Communications™ (www.sorenson.com) is a provider of industry-leading communication offerings including Sorenson Video Relay Service® (VRS), the company's line of videophones, Sorenson IP Relay™ (SIPRelay), and Sorenson Video Remote Interpreting™ (VRI). Sorenson VRS (www.sorensonvrs.com) enables deaf callers to conduct video relay conversations with hearing friends, business colleagues, and family members through a qualified American Sign Language interpreter. The company's Sorenson VP-100 is the first consumer-based broadband videophone appliance specifically designed for deaf individuals. Sorenson IP Relay™ (www.siprelay.com) allows deaf and hard-of-hearing users to place instant text-based relay calls from a PC or mobile device to any telephone user.