FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: (850) 413-6482
PSC Approves Florida Relay System Annual Budget With Reduced Surcharge
TALLAHASSEE —This morning, the annual budget for Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. (FTRI) was approved by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). FTRI administers the Florida Relay System (FRS) that provides basic telecommunications access to Florida citizens who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech impaired. Florida law requires the PSC to approve FTRI’s budget on an annual basis.
Approving a $3.3 million overall FTRI budget for Fiscal Year 2024/2025, the Commission reduced the monthly surcharge applied to landline customer bills from 9 cents to 8 cents. During this budget period, FRS usage is projected to decline by 25 percent as traditional telecommunications relay users transition to advanced technology services.
“As the Commission continues to reduce the FRS surcharge, we must also look for ways to remove regulatory hurdles that are stifling the adoption of new technology,” said PSC Commissioner Andrew Giles Fay.
FRS facilitates telephone calls between people with hearing loss or speech disabilities and other individuals by using specialized equipment and a communications assistance operator to relay information. FRS is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the current FRS provider.
FTRI is a non-profit organization that contracts with regional distribution centers to assist consumers with specialized phone needs. For information on how to obtain the special equipment, call FTRI at 1-888-554-1151 (Voice) or 1-888-447-5620 (Text Telephone/TTY) or visit https://www.ftri.org/.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
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