FCC Adopts Special Phone Numbers 211, 511. and 711 + Other Services on Cable
TV For Handicapped 

July 21, 2000 by KALPANA SRINIVASAN, Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators set aside new three-digit telephone
numbers Friday: 511 for local traffic information and 211 for referrals to
nonprofit groups serving the needy. They also ordered phone companies to
adopt a code to reach special operators who help the deaf make calls. 

Under the Federal Communications Commission's plan, modeled after the 911
emergency number, drivers may someday be able to call one easy-to-remember
number to find out about congestion or roadwork in whatever city they're
passing through. Families needing shelter, food or crisis counseling could
find assistance through a single number. 

It will be up to local governments and charities to work out how to
implement, and pay for, the new numbers, so they won't be available
immediately. 

The commission also mandated that telecommunication carriers implement a 711
code to contact operators that relay messages between those with speech or
hearing disabilities and other callers. 

As part of its efforts to extend communications services to the disabled, the
agency also mandated that broadcasters and cable companies provide some voice
narration of the action in TV shows in their biggest markets. 

"We've tried to address every aspect of the virtual world and make it
accessible," FCC Chairman William Kennard said in an interview. 

In the TV plan, broadcasters affiliated with NBC, ABC, Fox and CBS in their
top 25 markets would have to provide about four hours per week of described
prime time and/or children's programming. Cable operators and satellite
companies with more than 50,000 subscribers would have to provide the same
amount of time for each of the top five national non-broadcast channels they
carry. 

The requirements take effect beginning April 2002. The commission will later
consider whether to expand the mandate to more markets. While the measure
received majority approval, two commissioners challenged whether the agency
had the statutory authority to impose the obligations on broadcasters and
others. 

The FCC also ordered that details of local emergency information contained in
newscasts be made available to those who are sight impaired. 

In the service, descriptions of events are squeezed into the natural pauses
already in the program.  For example, television audiences would be told that
a character is running down the street or hugging a friend. 

Typically, this would be done using a separate audio track that audiences
could switch on or off. All  sets made since 1993 can receive this secondary
soundtrack channel. 

The National Association of Broadcasters has said that it would cost stations
more than $160,000 to  implement the plan and the cable industry believes the
market could address the issue. 

"There is no consensus on this matter even within the affected interest
community," said David Beckwith of the National Cable Television Association.
"We think this is an area best left to industry efforts, not government
regulation."  

The commission also is expected to set standards to ensure that closed
captioning for the deaf is available to people using digital TVs. 

The 711 code will consolidate dozens of toll-free numbers now in use and
provide hearing people who want to call a deaf person a single number they
can easily associate with the service - like 411 for information or 911 for
emergency. 

Bell Atlantic, now part of Verizon Communications, already has rolled out 711
service throughout most of its 13-state Northeast region. 

The company tracked its results in Maryland and found "a dramatic increase in
the number of hearing users who were dialing through relay just because it
was easier," said Richard Ellis, director of strategic alliances for Verizon. 

The relay service center received 18 percent more voice-initiated calls and
10 percent more total calls over a seven-month period. 

