TRS Cost Recovery

TRS COST RECOVERY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
In July 2006, the Commission released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on issues concerning the compensation of telecommunications relay services (TRS) providers from the Interstate TRS Fund (Fund). On Monday the Commission: 1) adopted a new cost recovery methodology for interstate traditional TRS and interstate Speech-to-Speech (STS) based on the "MARS" plan ("Multi-state Average Rate Structure"), proposed by one of the providers ; 2) adopted a new cost recovery methodology for interstate captioned telephone service (CTS) and interstate and intrastate Internet Protocol (IP) captioned telephone service (IP CTS) based on the MARS plan; (3) adopted a cost recovery methodology for Internet Protocol (IP) Relay based on price caps; (4) adopted a cost recovery methodology for Video Relay Service (VRS) that adopts tiered rates based on call volume; (5) clarify the nature and extent that certain categories of costs are compensable from the Fund; and (6) addressed certain issues concerning the management and oversight of the Fund, including financial incentives offered to consumers to make relay calls and the role of the Interstate TRS Fund Advisory Council.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-186A1.doc