Interoperability issues for TTY

• Connectivity – does CPE have method of connecting a TTY
  • Audio interface
  • Direct connection to analog telephone system
• Hearing Carry Over
  • Control of handset speaker
• Voice Carry Over
  • Control of handset microphone
• TTY pass through – pass TTY tones without distortion
• Interactive Voice Response systems (IVRS) (IVR Forum)
  • Direct usage by TTY
  • Usage through TRS – timeout problems
• TTY functionality in CPE itself (not required)

Interoperability issues for Hearing Aids

• Interference (HAC Act, FCC)
• Coupling/interconnect (HAC Act, FCC)

Ability to work with AT actuators

• Remote console
  • alternate display and controls
• Prosthesis

Augmentative and alternative communications systems with synthetic speech

• Voice recognition accuracy
• Timeout problems

Provision (a): .. provide a standard non-acoustic connection point for TTYs .. Microphones shall be capable of being turned on and off to allow the user to intermix speech with TTY use.

• Wireline telephones – An RJ-11 port to allow connection of a TTY or computer modem.
• Cell phone handsets –audio jack, menu or button controls for activating speaker and microphone which meets the requirements of TIA TSB-121.
• Lack of 508 support for Hearing Carry Over (HCO)?

Provision (b): .. support all commonly used .. standard TTY signal protocols.

• TTY Forum hosted by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS).
  • Project documents can be found on the ATIS website: www.atis.org/atis/tty/ttyforum.htm
• Technical solutions developed by both Lucent Technologies and Ericsson. The FCC has requested that the systems be in place by June 30, 2002.

Provision (c): .. IRV systems shall be usable by TTY users with their TTYs

• The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) is hosting the IRV Forum to address these problems. 
• We should follow their progress on this item.
• www.atis.org/atis/ivr/ivrhom.htm

Provision (e): .. caller identification and similar telecomm. functions shall be available for users of TTYs, and for users who cannot see displays.

• Support standard connection points and an API to allow interconnection of assistive devices. For example, ISDN phones could support the Microsoft’s TAPI API. Users could connect a computer with appropriate assistive technology to the phone and control the telephone via software.

Provision (f): products shall provide a gain adjustable up to a minimum of 20 dB

• No interoperability issues.

Provision (g):..automatically reset the volume to the default level after use.

• No interoperability issues.

Provision (h):..a means for effective magnetic wireless coupling to hearing technologies shall be provided.

• The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (the HAC Act), required all new telephones produced or imported after 1989 be compatible with hearing aids so current land line phones meet this provision. Wireless phones were exempted from HAC but the FCC has requested comments on a proposal to remove this exemption. The forum should follow the discussion with the FCC.

Provision (i):.. Interference to hearing technologies .. shall be reduced to the lowest possible level that allows a user of hearing technologies to utilize the telecommunications product.

• The forum should follow the discussion with the FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making.

Provision (j): Products that transmit or conduct information or communication, shall pass through cross-manufacturer, non-proprietary, industry-standard codes, translation protocols, formats or other information necessary to provide the information or communication in a usable format

• Equipment and software must support all of the components of media and not strip components or distort them in compression systems.

Provision (k):.. Requirements for mechanically operated controls or keys