Deaf News: Ofcom launches further consultation on 999 video relay service

The communications regulator Ofcom has announced it is consulting further on proposals to introduce an emergency video relay service (VRS) for British Sign Language signers.

It follows an earlier consultation by the organisation in December 2019, with the plans receiving “broad support” from respondents.

However, Ofcom have now published a second consultation after comments on the initial proposals “raised some specific points”.

The regulator said: “We are […] reconsulting on our proposed obligation to specify that it will require the regulated providers to either provide emergency video relay themselves or contract with a third party for its provision.

“This ensures that regulated providers will, as well as giving access to the service, be obliged to pay towards the costs either directly or under contract.”

Other proposals in the latest consultation include making mobile data used to access and use the emergency VRS should be free “to the greatest extent technically feasible”, and ensuring that users don’t have to register to access the service.

“We believe that if the service required registration to be used, it could lead to harm in time-critical emergency situations e.g. an end-user struggling to remember their password while their house was on fire,” said Ofcom.

They added that they also propose to include a requirement in their criteria for suppliers “to commit to [including] a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms clause in contracts with any customer or wholesaler for the service”.

 

 

Once implemented, an emergency VRS would operate alongside the current options to contact 999 through text relay, emergency SMS and the mobile app, TapSOS.

However, Ofcom rejected the suggestion from the telecommunications company BT that TapSOS should be used as an alternative to the proposed VRS.

They said: “Ofcom considers that while TapSOS offers benefits to some users, it has limitations in that it does not offer two-way communications in BSL users’ first language. In our consultation we evaluated the benefits of BSL users receiving potentially life-saving instructions in their first language.”

Elsewhere, the regulator responded to comments made by the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) in the initial consultation, with the representative body raising the issue of interpretation when the emergency services arrive, and call-backs if needed.

Ofcom replied: “As the proposed [General Conditions] sets out, emergency video relay is a service which provides BSL translation and relay facilities for the purposes of requesting and receiving emergency relief.

“The emergency video relay supplier will need to develop operational procedures that take account of the needs of deaf end-users and allow interpreters to use their professional judgement about the appropriate point at which to exit an emergency communication once the emergency services have arrived.”

On call-backs, the regulator went on to add that they would be “technically possible”, suggesting that SMS may offer a solution in this area.

BSL access to 999 emergency services must be properly funded and we welcome the @Ofcom consultation. We’ll be submitting a response to the consultation before the deadline of 30 March and we encourage deaf people and deaf organisations to do the same. https://t.co/hwSaAieOkL

— SignHealth (@SignHealth) February 24, 2021

Deaf organisations have since welcomed the second consultation, with the deaf health charity SignHealth tweeting: “BSL access to 999 emergency services must be properly funded.

“We’ll be submitting a response to the consultation before the deadline of 30 March and we encourage deaf people and deaf organisations to do the same.”

The latest consultation is open until 30 March, with Ofcom aiming to publish a final statement by the end of June.

More information can be found on Ofcom’s website, along with BSL interpretation of consultation documents. BSL submissions are accepted.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.