Telecommunications Relay Service ASCII Format Requirement
Key claim: The FCC is dropping the old rule that text-telephone relay services must still support ASCII, so providers can stop maintaining obsolete equipment and put the savings toward modern relay technologies.
Abstract
(Rule · Federal Communications Commission) In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) amends its rules to eliminate the requirement that Text Telephone (TTY)-based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) be capable of communicating in the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. By removing this outdated regulatory mandate, the Commission relieves TRS providers of the obligation to maintain costly and obsolete ASCII-compatible hardware and software systems. Eliminating this requirement will reduce inefficiencies, preserve the integrity of the TRS Fund, and allow providers to redirect resources toward modern relay technologies, all without adversely impacting functional equivalence for consumers who rely on TTY-based TRS.
Why this matters
TRS is a mandatory accessibility service funded by carrier contributions, so trimming obsolete technical mandates directly affects what the TRS Fund pays for. Dropping the ASCII requirement is a small compliance-cost reduction for relay providers and signals continued FCC migration away from legacy TTY infrastructure toward IP-based relay. End users of relay services are unlikely to notice a change.