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Senate keeps relay program running, extends funding for telecommunication devices for deaf residents
Summary
The Utah Senate voted to remove the sunset on a relay and TDD assistance program and placed SB 5 on the third-reading calendar after a committee-of-the-whole presentation by Public Service Commissioner Ted Stewart, who said the state program carries roughly 80,000 calls annually and costs about $400,000 a year.
The Utah Senate moved to preserve and continue a state-run relay service and equipment distribution program for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, with lawmakers hearing detailed testimony from Public Service Commissioner Ted Stewart on the program's costs and operations.
Commissioner Ted Stewart told the Senate that the relay service—operated from an exchange in Bountiful—handled about 80,000 messages in 1990 and currently has seven operators. "It costs approximately $400,000 a year to operate this system with the current 7 operators," Stewart said, and noted the program had distributed "approximately 200" TDD units to…
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