CONSUMER BULLETIN No. 01-5 Maine Public Utilities Commission Consumer Assistance Division

 

242 State Street, 18 State House Station, Augusta, ME  04333-0018

Contact:  Derek Davidson (207) 287-1596 or derek.d.davidson@maine.gov

 

New Access Number for
Telecommunications Relay Services

 

As of last fall, a three-digit number for access to all Telecommunications Relay Services - 711 - joined the familiar calling shortcuts of 911 and 411.  This change has greatly benefited teletypewriter (TTY) users.

 

A TTY is a machine that allows people with hearing or speech disabilities to communicate over the phone using a keyboard and a viewing screen.  A TTY user calls a voice telephone user through a Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) provider (or relay center), where a communications assistant places the call to the voice user.  The communications assistant relays the conversation by transcribing spoken content for the TTY user and reading text aloud for the voice user.

 

If you want to call someone who uses a TTY, you only need to dial 711 to automatically connect to the TRS operator.  In addition, if you are a TTY user traveling outside of Maine, it is no longer necessary to learn other state's TRS access codes - just dial 711.

 

For deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-disabled people who have been using TRS for years, the convenience of dialing three digits instead of seven or ten is obvious.  But 711 is good news for everyone, not just people with disabilities.  Both the TTY user and the person calling the TTY user will be able to initiate a call from any telephone, anywhere in the United States, without having to remember a seven or ten digit access number.  This is a major improvement over the past dialing method, since there were over 100 separate numbers nationwide for accessing relay services.

 

Under FCC rules adopted last year, 711 TRS dialing must be provided by all telecommunications carriers in the United States, including wireless companies and payphone providers.

 

If consumers find they are unable to get 711 TRS access, please contact the FCC’s Consumer Center at 888-CALL-FCC (voice) or 888-TELL-FCC (TTY).  You may also e-mail the FCC at access@fcc.gov.

 

For general information on telephone service in Maine, consumers can contact the PUC’s Consumer Assistance Hotline by phone (800/452-4699 or TTY Relay 800/437-1220), e-mail maine.puc@maine.gov, facsimile (207/287-1039), or visit the Maine PUC Website at www.state.me.us/mpuc.

 

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