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Hi...this is Dr. Z
Now, I will talk about the FCC Notice of Inquiry for VRS
What is a NOI? It is a "Notice of Inquiry"
On June 28th, the FCC made an annoucement that it will initiate a NOI process
The NOI will inquire about 2 things--the first will focus on VRS rates
It will inquire as to whether the rate of $5 or $6 per minute is appropriate
After the process, it will determine what the rate would be for 2011
The second part is more important--it will inquire as to whether the VRS structure as we know it will change
It will look into economic and other issues related to VRS
It will ask questions such as whether there should be 1, 10 or 5 companies for example in the VRS industry
It will inquire as to whether the VRS rate go through a bidding process or be determined by the FCC as it is now
It also will look into certification issues-whether VRS providers need to be certified
And other issues--I will be discussing this every week from now on
How do you participate in the NOI process?--The FCC welcomes your participation
You can start sending comments to the FCC now
The comment period will end 30 days after the NOI is published in the Federal Register
Then we will have 15 days to reply to some of the comments
Some VRS companies have asked the FCC to extend the comment period from 30 to 90 days
The FCC hasn't responded to this request--so it's still 30 days
and hasn't yet been published in the Federal Register
Feel free to comment--send your ideas and thoughts to the FCC
The more information the FCC gets--the better informed decision they will make
Thank you and have a nice day
Until next time.