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CapTelŪ Opens New Call Center in Milwaukee

CapTel, Inc., officially opened a new call center in downtown Milwaukee at a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Alderman Robert Bauman, and Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan. The new center, the company's second center in Wisconsin, expects to employ several hundred people over the next five years.

The new CapTel call center provides captioned telephone service that enables people who are deaf or hard of hearing to view text captions during their phone conversations. The captions appear on a CapTel phone, allowing people who have difficulty hearing to continue enjoying the telephone regardless of their hearing ability.

"We're grateful to the state and to the City of Milwaukee for making it possible to expand our high-tech operations right here in Wisconsin," stated CapTel President Robert Engelke. "In addition to creating new jobs and training opportunities for the Milwaukee community, this state-of-the-art center helps to further CapTel's leadership position in the assistive technology field."

"Job creation is a number one priority for Milwaukee and we are aggressively seeking opportunities to partner with Wisconsin companies that are poised to grow," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. "CapTel's expansion into Milwaukee will mean new jobs for our residents and continued growth of this impressive company."

The new call center was opened in response to the popularity of the CapTel telephone, which has been well received by people with hearing loss. Having multiple centers also ensures minimum interruptions in service if something unexpectedly halts operations in one center or the other, such as a flood or a tornado. In those instances, traffic from one center can automatically be routed to another.

CapTel technology was developed by Ultratec, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of text telecommunications equipment for people with hearing loss.

FCC Approves IP Captioned Telephone Service

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced its approval of Internet-based captioned telephone technology for compensation from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund. Today's decision paves the way for people who have difficulty hearing over the phone to receive written captions of their conversations, via the Internet.

In announcing the ruling, the commissioners praised IP-based captioned telephone technology as a "giant step forward" for people with hearing loss, noting the potential to improve employment, social, and economic opportunities for people who are hard of hearing.

Posted: December 20, 2006
More information...

Captioning Service Expanding

Captel, Inc., the company that provides the captioning service for Ultratec's CapTel telephone, has announced plans to open a new captioning center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is in addition to the company's existing captioning center in the University Research Park in Madison, Wisconsin. At the announcement, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle commended Ultratec for the CapTel telephone, which has made a difference in so many people's lives.

More information: CapTel press release

New York to Offer CapTel Service

The New York State Public Service Commission has voted to make captioned telephone service available to state residents, beginning in January 2007. The decision was made, in part, in response to ongoing requests by several local advocates who requested access to the technology on behalf of the large number of New York state residents with hearing loss. This brings the total number of states offering CapTel Service to 39, plus Federal CapTel which is available nationwide.

Posted: July 25, 2006
More information: HLAA press release

Cost and availability details will be available in December 2006. If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to receive notification when more information becomes available, please contact CapTel Customer Service.

Ultratec Supports Hurricane Relief Efforts

To help the many deaf and hard of hearing individuals and families affected by Hurricane Katrina, Ultratec has donated TTY and CapTel telephone equipment for use in shelters in the gulf coast and other regions, including Chicago and various cities in Texas, where people have been temporarily housed. If you are looking for ways to help, we encourage you to contact one of the following organizations for information about hurricane relief funds specifically for members of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community:

Caller ID Capability Now Available with CapTel

CapTel users who subscribe to the Caller ID feature from their telephone service are now able to view Caller ID information directly on the CapTel phone display. Previously, Caller ID subscribers had to check their Caller ID box to see who was calling. CapTel also now features True Caller ID, which displays the name and/or number of the person calling. In the past, CapTel users with Caller ID would only see the Captioning Service telephone number displayed whenever a person called, because all calls are routed through the Captioning Service to be captioned.

The new Caller ID improvements go into effect automatically after an initial call is placed through the Captioning Service. If you are a Caller ID subscriber and you do not see Caller ID information on your CapTel telephone, please contact CapTel customer service for assistance.

Pennsylvania CapTel Trialists Successfully Lobby for Continued Service

On May 12, 2005, a Secretarial Letter distributed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission announced the end of the 2-year Pennsylvania CapTel relay service trial. After much lobbying and protest by active CapTel trialists, along with the support of the Pennsylvania Relay Service Advisory Board and several public officials, this decision was modified. After further review, the Commission's Consumer Advisory Council agreed to ensure that the deaf and hard of hearing in Pennsylvania had access to the latest technology, including CapTel.

On May 25, 2005, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission declared that existing trialists "will not experience a break or change in service and will have the option of upgrading to 2-line service." It was also stated that service would open to new users within approximately 60 days. Efforts like those displayed by trialists and advocates in Pennsylvania emphasize the benefits of captioned telephone voice relay services and the need to expand such services to a larger number of users.

2-Line CapTel Now Available in 23 States & Federal Relay

Federal CapTel participants and those in the following states now have access to 2-Line CapTel services: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.

There are several benefits to having 2-Line CapTel service. Most notably, incoming calls are automatically captioned and do not require callers to dial the captioning service - your callers simply dial your phone number directly. With 2-Line service, conversation is carried on one line while captions are provided on a second. Calls are direct between parties, even during 9-1-1 calls. In addition, automatic call-back (*69) options are supported and call-waiting can be used during a captioned call. More about 2-line service.

If your state supports 2-Line CapTel, there are few requirements in order to access the new service. Check it out to see if 2-Line CapTel is right for you.

California Announces Expanded Field CapTel Trial

After an 18 month CapTel trial, to a limited number of users, the California Public Utilities Commission has contracted for an expanded field trial as of May 1, 2005. New CapTel users will be added on a regular basis beginning in July or August of 2005. The expanded trial has all the benefits of full CapTel service, and also allows users to access 2-line CapTel if a second analog line is installed. California residents may be eligible for a free CapTel phone through the California Technology Assistance Program (CTAP).

California residents have a separate captioning service number than the general voice in number.

California residents should give this number to people who call often, in order to receive captions during their calls. Separate Call-Me cards are available for California. Click here to download these cards.