Telecom Report 2007-05-23

1. Activate accessibility features and configure telecommunications products so that they are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
2. Ensure access to and use of all telecommunications relay services for incoming and outgoing calls as approved by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to its authority under 47 U.S.C. Sec. 225, as needed to achieve functionally equivalent communication access by people with disabilities.

1. Shall provide a standard non-acoustic connection point for TTYs or an equivalent method for text and/or video conversation.  All analog and TDM-digital wired terminals shall support the connection of a TTY in the same location and with the permissions for use as the telephone.  This shall be accomplished by providing an RJ-11 jack on the telephone, or, in the case of an analog telephone, by the use of a Y-adapter that allows both the analog telephone and the TTY to be plugged into the same line outlet, or have built in capability to support an RJ11 module that can provide a connection point for TTYs;
2. Other types of terminals covered by this section shall support the connection of real-time text capable devices in conjunction with the voice call capability in the same location and the same permissions for use as the terminal.

   Definition:  Any device that terminates one end (sender or receiver) of a communicated signal and with which an end user interacts is a terminal device.

   or:

   Terminal:

   device or devices with which the end user directly interacts and that provide the user interface.

3. Shall be capable of allowing simultaneous speech and text conversation without interference or its microphone shall be capable of being turned on and off to allow the user to intermix speech with text [TTY] use.

• softTTY cheap to productize but significant security issues.  Sec’ty fix very costly.

Proposed Definition

Two-way communcations that employ transmission of, conversational, remote interactions wherein the characters are transmitted w/in 1 sec. of time created.

• does CPE include Info Srvc?

Incoming text on screen can be supported, but to support another text stream wld be challenge.

Need a definition for terminal device.  These are suggestions.

For cellphone, New s/w needed to rd text as you go.  Add’l to current phone s/w Yes.  Trade off w/ tty to head phone prblm, connector on side.  Allows IP phones to be vco/hco enabled.

1. IP terminal user interfaces that have a multiline display shall display any real-time text that is received in the standard format for that platform;
2. IP terminal user interfaces that have the ability to generate text shall allow sending real-time text in the standard real-time text format for that platform;
3. Such real time text send and receive capabilities shall be synchronized with voice as part of the same communication session.

1. Products that connect directly to the PSTN shall support TIA 825 Baudot where they interface to the PSTN;
2. Products that connect directly to the Internet via SIP shall support RFC 4103 where they interface to the Internet via SIP;
3. All other Products (including PBX, cellular, and peer to peer Internet phones) that do not connect to PSTN or use SIP over the Internet shall support the standard real-time text format for that system.  These systems only need to support TIA 825 Baudot at the juncture to the PSTN (if any) and only need to support RFC 4103 at the point where they connect to public SIP systems (if any).

These reqmts apply to the Gateways to insure interoperablity.  This function is not supported by majority of gateways owned by govt. today.  Anyone with a closed system falls under (c).  This is about insuring interoperability between mine and yours.

s/w is available over the air; reqmt is for gateway vendor to support this.

1. Provides transmission of character with less than 1 second delay from entry;
2. Provides transmission with less than 1% character error under normal but heavy network traffic;
3. Support intermixing of speech and text in both directions (simultaneously if and only if IP based).
4. IP systems cannot rely upon audio channels for transmission of real-time text.

• what is “systems?”
• system perf. Reqmts are net roll up;  How does this play w/ component vendor?
• req robust protocols rather than a metric.

“system as delivered must be reliable” shld be:  System as purchased should use a reliable text transport format.

1. Voice mail, messaging, auto-attendant, and interactive voice response telecommunications systems shall make information available and be capable of recording Baudot TTY signals and shall:
   1. Use the ITU-T G.711 standard for encoding and storing audio information.  If an audio encoder other than G711 is employed, the vendor must provide evidence that the intelligibility is equal to or better than that provided by G.711;
   2. Provide full player controls that allow users to pause, rewind, slow down and repeat all messages and prompts, and adjust volume;
   3. Provide prompts (either as provided by the vendor or by the user) without any background sounds that would reduce intelligibility.
2. In using such systems agencies shall:
   1. Preferably present the system user with 4, but no more than 6, menu choices at one time unless the user requests to hear more options;
   2. provide easy to understand and act upon menu items and other navigational messages;

(Define Menu in Subpart A.)

Set-up issue.

Provisions for product.  Provisions for set up.

• define menu somewhere.

Based on committee members’ opinion; not backed by research.

1. line powered telecommunications products shall comply with FCC regulation §68.317 for volume control,

OR

1. * telecommunications products shall provide a built in gain adjustable up to a minimum of 20 dB.  For incremental volume control, at least one intermediate step of 12 dB of gain shall be provided.
2. all other telecommunications products or systems that provide a function allowing voice communication shall provide a gain adjustable up to a minimum of 20? dB with [.For] incremental volume control of at least one intermediate step of 12 dB of gain [shall be] provided as measured and documented in accordance with the provisions of the FCC regulation §68.317 for volume control.

1* There is a problem is measurement of gain from variable floor.  Recommend standard for the floor from which the adjustable gain is measured by developed by TIA.

What is floor?  JOHN COOMBS, CISCO….  IMPT. TO SET FLOOR, MSMT OF FLOOR.  ALSO WILL HAVE TO SET MSMT FOR DISTORTION. Conform w/ FCC, drop reset if 18 dB and est. common floor measurement.  Est’g common floor so can have a real 18 dB.  Distortion – Matt Bakke.

Do we want to reference FCC regs for wireless technologies?

Don’t want to do Bell 103 and 202. Concern:  What if passing voice but need to translate text?  Want to take 4103 and put it own format for closed network.

Firewalls, gateways and other products that pass real-time voice conversation signals shall also pass real-time text conversation signals (including mixed voice & real-time text) that are standard for that medium without distortion or error beyond 1%.

Products that provide real-time conversation text functionality shall do so in the standard format that is supported for that transport medium.

1. products that connect directly to the PSTN shall support TIA 825 Baudot where they interface to the PSTN;
2. Products that connect directly to the Internet via SIP shall support RFC 4103 where they interface to the Internet via SIP.
3. All other Products (including PBX, cellular, and peer to peer Internet phones) that do not connect to PSTN or use SIP over the Internet shall support the standard real-time text format for that system.  These systems only need to support TIA 825 Baudot at the juncture to the PSTN (if any) and only need to support RFC 4103 at the point where they connect to public SIP systems (if any).

TIA Comment:  Premature to specify a protocol standard for text.  RFC 4103 separates voice and data ports; has unique characteristics.

Systems that support voice conversation shall provide at least one standard (for the system) means for real time text conversation that is supported by all terminal, router, gateway and other products on that system, and that meets the following requirements:

1. Provides transmission of character with less than 1 second delay from entry;
2. Provides transmission with less than 1% character error under normal but heavy network traffic;
3. Support intermixing of speech and text in both directions (simultaneously if packet based).

IP terminals that provide real-time voice function shall meet the following provision:

1. Terminals that have a display of more than 12 characters shall display any real-time text that is received in standard format;
2. Terminals that have the ability to generate text shall allow sending real-time text in the standard format in connection with voice phone calls;
3. Terminals that do not have both send and receive capability for real time text shall support the connection of real-time text devices in parallel with the voice call capability in the same location and the same permissions for use as the product.

   NOTE: Terminals can be hardware or software based.

This says if the device can display text, then it should display real-time text that is sent to it.  If it can generate text, it should allow users to send real-time text.  If it can’t do both, then there should be a method for connecting a device that can and that device should be allowed to work (permission).

Telecommunication systems with the bandwidth and video capability to support sign language video shall not block video telecommunication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Federal employee or member of the public.

Offered by T. Brett to address network mngmt reluctance to open further ports in the agency’s firewall.  Not required for every employee.

1. The caller must always be able to dial 0 or to say “operator” to queue for a human.
2. An accurate estimated wait-time, based on call traffice at time of call, should always be given when caller arrives in the queue
3. Callers should never be asked to repeat info provided to a human or an automated system during a call.
4. When human not available, callers should be offered option to be called back or to leave a message.
5. Speech applications should provide touch-tone (DTMF) fall-back.
6. Long prompts should be avoided.
7. Callers should be able to interrupt t prompts via DTMS tones or barge-in software.
8. System must not disconnect for user erros, but instead queue for human operator.
9. Primary language should be assumed with option for caller to change language.