TRS Fund Support for internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service Compensation
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) adopts a revised, five-year plan for support of internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) by the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Fund (TRS Fund). To ensure that IP CTS providers have the appropriate incentive structure to support captioning with communications assistants (CAs) and with only automatic speech recognition (ASR), the Commission establishes separate compensation formulas for CA-assisted and ASR-only IP CTS. In addition, this compensation plan will give providers certainty regarding the applicable compensation levels, provide an incentive to improve efficiency, and allow the Commission an opportunity to timely reassess the compensation formulas in response to potential unanticipated cost changes and other significant developments.
What this rule actually says
The FCC is setting payment rules for companies that provide captioned telephone services to deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Specifically, it's deciding how much money those companies get paid from a government fund when they use human captioners versus automated speech recognition to caption phone calls. This is a technical funding mechanism—not a requirement to build anything new, but a change to how existing relay services get compensated.
Who it applies to
- If you're building captioned phone services or relay services: This applies to you if your product helps deaf/hard-of-hearing users make phone calls by providing live captions or transcription during calls.
- If you're using ASR or hiring human captioners for calls: The rule specifically sets different payment rates depending on whether you use automatic speech recognition alone or employ communication assistants (humans) to caption calls.
- Jurisdiction: This is a U.S. Federal Communications Commission rule. It only applies if you operate services in the United States.
- What's out of scope: If you're building general AI chatbots, hiring assistants, medical scribes, or support bots that don't specifically provide relay/captioning services for phone calls, this doesn't apply to you.
What founders need to do
- Assess whether you're a relay service provider (1 hour): Does your product help users make or receive phone calls with real-time captioning? If no, stop here. If yes, continue.
- Determine your captioning method (same day): Are you using only automated speech recognition, or are you employing human communication assistants? This determines which payment formula applies to you.
- Register with or notify the TRS Fund administrator (2–3 days): If you're a qualifying provider, contact the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Fund to ensure you're enrolled and receiving the correct compensation rate for your service model.
- Track your service metrics (ongoing): Keep records of call volume, captioning accuracy, and whether you're using CA-assisted or ASR-only methods. The FCC will review this data to adjust compensation in the future.
- Monitor FCC updates (quarterly): The compensation plan is reviewed every five years, and costs or technology may trigger earlier adjustments. Check FCC announcements annually.
Bottom line
Unless you're specifically running a captioned telephone relay service in the U.S., ignore this rule entirely; if you are, act now to verify your provider registration and ensure you're being paid under the correct compensation formula.