Comcast data caps make life for deaf difficult

It’s hard to find a Comcast Internet customer who doesn’t loathe the idea of the company’s forthcoming data usage limits, but usage caps may prove particularly painful to one group: the deaf and hard of hearing. Unlimited access is especially crucial for many in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community who use Video Relay Service, or VRS, to conduct phone calls. The calls are facilitated using a sign language interpreter on the other end – and that requires an Internet video feed.

“It’s really important to the deaf community because it provides visual communication,” said Dan Hoffman, the ASL and Deaf Studies program coordinator for Utah Valley University. VRS does not use that much data — 5-10 megabits per second, according to Sorenson VRS, one of the leading VRS companies — but that adds up when you're also using your connection for normal browsing. The Federal Communications Commission does have protections in place to ensure the adequate provision of telecommunications services to the deaf community, but from a cursory read, it is unclear if capping VRS use is an Americans with Disabilities Act violation.