Consumer Legal Advisory

IWRelay is not an independent eligible VRS provider

• IWRelay does not hold itself out as a provider of VRS, but is a subcontractor of eligible VRS provider Healinc Telecom, LLC.

Registering For Your Number

As of December 31, 2008 all internet-based VRS and IP Relay Service providers are required to assign a local 10-digit telephone number to you, their customer. In order to acquire a 10-digit telephone number, you must first register with a VRS and/or IP Relay provider of your choice. The 10-digit telephone number looks like the one you were assigned by your local telephone company or wireless provider but will allow you to make and receive calls using VRS and/or IP Relay services without having to use IP addresses. Your 10-digit number can be transferred to or from VRS and/or IP relay Service providers as well as: Wireless carriers, Cable providers, a local telephone company, or VoIP carriers. This process, called "porting", can be done by contacting the VRS or IP Relay Service provider that you want to become your new provider.

What is a local 10-digit telephone number?
The 10-digit telephone number being described here is a number just like your home or Blackberry telephone number. It has 10 digits (numbers) that look like 123-456-7890. When you started telephone service, your local telephone company gave you a number. When you purchased your Blackberry, your dealer gave you a number for your Blackberry. This 10-digit number is a different number to use with VRS and IP relay service.

Why is the new 10-digit number needed?
This new 10-digit number is required by the FCC to make VRS and IP relay calls. Each VRS or IP relay user must register with one or more Providers.

What if you use more than one VRS or IP relay service?
If you wish, you may contact each VRS or IP relay service provider that you use and ask for a new number from each one.

Why do you need to keep your registration information current for each 10 digit number?
In the case of emergency the registered address will be used for E911.

Transferring Your 10-Digit Number

This process is called "porting."

Here are important items the FCC wants you to consider:

1. Ask your new provider what features are and are not available. Make sure the services and features you want and need are available.
2. The transfer is not immediate.
3. If you move from state to state, check with your new provider to determine if you need a new local 10-digit number.
4. When you move and/or change your number, you must register your location information (name and address) with your new provider. This is very important for E-911 service to work properly.
5. As noted above, during the porting process to your new provider, there may be a period of "mixed service" - when your 10-digit telephone number may be registered with two providers . During this time period, your E911 service may be affected. The call should go through, but the 911 operator may not be able to call you back if the call gets disconnected. For this reason, before porting either a wireless or a wireline number, ask your new provider how long the porting process will take and how it will affect a 911 call.

If you transfer your local home or business telephone number to a VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider, you, and other hearing individuals that use this number, may lose features and functionality that rely on telephone connectivity, such as dial-up, broadband (e.g., DSL or FiOS), or VoIP internet connection, fax capability, voice mail capability, home/business alarm system monitoring, medical monitoring capability, and credit card authorization systems.

If you transfer your local home or business telephone number to a VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider, you will lose TTY access to your State Relay or TTY to TTY calling. If you transfer your wireless (pager) service number to a VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider, you may lose the use of your wireless pager completely, including any features normally accessed by the device such as customized text relay applications, AOL Instant Messaging, e-mail access, and web browsing capability.

If you transfer your VRS and IP Relay Service number to a local home or business telephone or wireless service provider you may lose access to VRS or IP relay services, features such as video or text mail.

If you transfer your VRS and/or IP Relay Service number from one VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider to another VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider, you may lose some or all provider-specific relay features.

If you transfer your VRS and/or IP Relay Service number from VRS to IP Relay service within the same VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider you may lose video service functions and capabilities.

If you transfer your VRS and/or IP Relay Service number from IP Relay service to VRS within the same VRS and/or IP Relay Service provider you may lose access to all text relay service functions and capabilities.

Before changing VRS and/or IP Relay Service providers do not cancel service with your current provider until you have registered with your new provider. You must contact your new provider who will begin the transfer process by contacting your existing provider on your behalf. Your new provider will ask you to provide specific information such as your name, street address, city, state, zip code, 10-digit telephone number, and other information as required by your new provider. Your new provider will require you to sign a "letter of authorization" in order to begin the transfer process. If your current provider is not an VRS and IP Relay Service provider, you may be required to pay local telephone early termination fees, cable contract early termination fees, wireless service contract early termination fees, and any outstanding balance due.

Please refer to FCC Consumer Facts for additional information on transferring service.
To download full details of the FCC order on 10-digit numbering, click here .
To read the FCC Consumer Advisory regarding ten-digit numbering, click here.

911 Calls

The best way for you to contact 911 is for you to call directly from a TTY. If you use IWRelay's services to place a 911 Call, you should be aware that any such use is subject to significant limitations and risks. First, your location and any telephone number associated with your videophone or computer may not be automatically passed to emergency service personnel when you use IWRelay's services to place a 911 Call. Second, if you use IWRelay's services to place a 911 Call, and you are incapacitated or otherwise unable or unwilling to give the IWRelay interpreter your address, IWRelay may not be able to obtain your location information and give it to appropriate emergency personnel, although IWRelay will use its best efforts to do so. Third, if you use IWRelay's services to place a 911 Call, and you have not provided IWRelay an up-to-date Registered Location, IWRelay may not automatically be able to obtain your location information or route your call to the appropriate emergency personnel. Fourth, even if you have provided IWRelay an up-to-date Registered Location, it can take several hours or, in some cases (e.g., if there is an error in your Registered Location), longer to activate 911 service at this address.

If you place a 911 Call from an address before activation of 911 services for that address, IWRelay may not automatically be able to obtain your location information and/or route your call to the appropriate emergency personnel. Fifth, you may not be able to place a 911 Call if equipment provided to or used by you fails to function. Sixth, you may not be able to use IWRelay's services to place a 911 Call if an act beyond our control (including an act of God) has occurred, including one or more of the following: a broadband network outage or power outage has occurred, or Internet service has been degraded for another reason, including congestion, interruptions, or technical problems that may affect your ability to access the Internet; your broadband or ISP service has been cancelled, suspended or terminated for any reason (including for failure to pay or other reasons) or your use of relay service equipment has been terminated, suspended, restricted, or cancelled, or such equipment has been disabled. Finally, 911/E911 is only available for a call placed from a location within the United States.

IWRelay will not be liable for any cost or damage arising either directly or indirectly from your failure to observe the limitations expressed in this Disclaimer, including your use or misuse of IWRelay's services, or (ii) IWRelay's termination, suspension, restriction, or cancellation of your use of its services, and/or IWRelay retrieval or disabling of its videophone. In no event shall IWRelay, or its shareholders, officers, or directors, be liable for punitive, reliance, or special damages, or for indirect or consequential damages, including but not limited to lost profits or revenue or increased costs of operation. These limitations apply even if the damages are foreseeable or we are told they are possible, and they apply to any negligence claim that does not involve willful misconduct or intentional misconduct no matter how that claim is styled or on what legal grounds (such as contract, tort, statute, misrepresentation) it is based. IWRelay will be liable for no more than the amount of direct damages to the person or property. Except as expressly provided in this Disclaimer, and then only to the extent provided, IWRelay makes no warranties or representations of any kind regarding its services.

IWRelay protects and holds confidential any and all information obtained as a result of the need to facilitate 911 services. Such information will be made available only to emergency call handlers and emergency response or law enforcement personnel, and is used for the sole purpose of ascertaining a customer’s location in an emergency situation or for other emergency or law enforcement purposes.

Toll-Free Numbers

• IWRelay only issues local ten-digit numbers. In accordance with FCC requirements, IWRelay has not and does not issue toll-free numbers.
• You may accquire a toll-free number by contacting a toll-free number provider here: Toll Free Number Providers
• Once you have a toll-free number, you may then contact IWRelay customer service via 888-606-0515 (VP) or support@iwrelay.com to have your toll-free number linked to your IWRelay ten-digit number.
• For more information see: FCC Video Relay Services