FCC Partners to Address Accessible Communications

December 2013 — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which would allow them to “partner on research into the use of modern IP technology to improve and make more accessible phone service to Americans who are deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing.” Research conducted under the MOU will focus on the effectiveness of current and potential uses of IP technology, with the intention of helping guide future activities of the FCC Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Program, a service which enables people with hearing or speech disabilities to place phone calls.  Of the partnership Dr. Marie A. Bernard, Deputy Director of NIA, noted, “The effort addresses a critical need to leverage expertise and resources in a world of rapidly changing technologies where we have a unique opportunity to find and use the best technologies to improve the lives of older people and those with special needs.”