My wife needs the land line to use her TDD to make calls through a relay service, as she's deaf. I keep asking her to find out from her deaf friends how they use phones to call hearing people but she won't do it or doesn't understand what they tell her.
This is yet another topic I really should tack onto the guide under the VoIP section.
711 service is supposed to be coming to VoIP operators just as 911 service is now technically required. As of right now, the only provider from the guide I know of that offers 711 service is VOIPo. That only addresses half of the service for TTY/TDD, unfortunately. There's still one major technical hurdle that must be crossed by using this sort of equipment on a VoIP line: call quality and stability, which requires a VoIP provider and ATA hardware that ideally supports the T.38 FAX codec. TTY/TDD can technically work under ideal connections with the G.711u codec as well (
as some have reported), but since it's still a codec optimized for voice and not data, there can be some scrambling issues, especially if you don't do QoS control at your router to give VoIP network priority.
Basically, any provider from the guide that would work well for anyone wanting to do analog FAX, PERS or alarm service on their VoIP line should also work well with a TTY/TDD device.
Given most all the VoIP providers on the list don't provide 711 service, there are ways around this by setting up some sort of speed-dial for
your state's TTY 800 number service center. I know the FCC is mandating this now and sometimes yelling at them about getting a VoIP provider active on the service might be necessary, but try reaching out to the VoIP provider first,
let them know about these requirements, and try asking nicely to get the service implemented before going thermonuclear with the FCC on the issue. Something about flies, honey and vinegar. You get the idea.
