REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO PROVIDE RELAY ACCESS SERVICES

The PublicUtility Commission of Texas (PUCT) is issuing this request for proposals (RFP)for a telecommunications carrier to provide Texas statewide telephone relayaccess service (TRS or “relay service”) for persons with speech and/or hearingimpairments. TRS provides telephoneinterpreting service for people who can hear and those who are deaf, hard ofhearing, deaf-blind, or speech disabled. TRS makes it possible for persons with hearing impairment or speechdisability who may or may not be using special equipment to communicate withhearing persons without special equipment or with other persons with specialequipment (e.g. oralist using voice-carryover conversing with a deaf personusing a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY)). The TRS provider selected must provide accessto the telecommunications network in Texas equivalent to the access provided toother customers.