APCO speakers say RTT being used operationally, could be key platform for 911 in the future

NASHVILLE—After years of work, Real-time text (RTT) solutions are being used in 911 centers today, and the technology’s flexibility could portend a future in which RTT is used to support emergency calling beyond the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, APCO panelist said.

For decade, the deaf and hard-of-hearing community relied on Teletypewriter (TTY) technology—subsequently also referenced as Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf—to communicate with 911, but carriers informed the FCC in 2016 that IP networks would not support TTY, according to Toni Dunne of Motorola Solutions. The FCC approved the use of RTT as a TTY alternative; in the meantime, any RTT calls to a public-safety answering point (PSAP) that does not yet support RTT is converted to a TTY format before entering the 911 center, she said.

Christy Williams, the director of 911 for the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District, said the journey to adopt RTT –working initially with T-Mobile—was lengthy, but it should be easier for PSAPs in the future, because many of the logistical issues have been addressed. The effort promises to be worth it, she said.

“We’ve had text-to-911 in our area for 10 years, and that is certainly a better option for the deaf and hard of hearing than no service to 911,” William said during the APCO session. “But RTT will be even better. One of the biggest benefits to us is the dual path—RTT is both a voice call and a data call.

“For those [911 telecommunicators] who have text to 911, you know you lose the background noises, and that’s very important … in communicating with a 911 caller. Because this [RTT] has a voice component, you have that feature back—the background noises, as well the ability to type in data form back and forth.”

Another key benefit of RTT is that the 911 telecommunicator is able to see each letter-by-letter keystroke from the person seeking emergency help, as opposed to having wait until “Send” is pushed on a completed message, Williams said. In addition, deleted messages can be captured with RTT, she said.

Ted Sparks, director of 911 in Logan County, W.V., also expressed support for the adoption of RTT, which his PSAP initially adopted with Verizon and later T-Mobile. The impact of RTT has been noticeable, he said.

“We were doing a little presentation at the 911 center, and [the wife of one employee] is deaf,” Sparks said. “He had told her about what was going on, that he could see character-to-character like the old TTY and that we could actually hear … what’s going on in the background.

“She started crying. [The idea that] she could have the same service and the same abilities as everyone else has—I know it’s a small step, but it’s a huge step for the hearing-impaired community. I think that’s one of the areas that needs the most attention.”

Sparks also noted that the audio and text functionalities of RTT enables unprecedented flexibility for a 911 exchange, such as allowing the 911 caller to speak—if possible—in response to an RTT text from a telecommunicator.

“We live in southern West Virginia, in the coal fields,” Sparks said. “Not only do we have deaf people, but we also have people who have spent years in the mining industry and things like that, and they do have a hard problem hearing, which creates communications problems.”

Greg Dixon, regional account manager for Comtech Solacom—the vendor that supported Williams’ efforts to adopt RTT—said he is a believer in RTT but noted that 911 centers should not ignore the legacy technology, even after RTT use becomes commonplace.

“TDD is not going anywhere,” Dixon said during the APCO session. “We realize that there are a lot of limitations with 1964’s technology in TTY. But don’t forget that your wireline residential callers will still be using a TTY into the foreseeable future and will require all PSAPs to remain extremely proficient in recognizing TDD communications into PSAP. So, don’t write off TDD just yet.”

Both Sparks and Williams stressed the nascent operation of RTT for emergency calling, as only a handful of PSAPs are using the technology at the moment. Williams emphasized the importance of  internal training and educating the public about RTT for 911, but noted a challenge encountered early in the rollout of text-to-911 services that were available only in limited geographical locations.

“I think what Ted and I are going to be cautious about right now is how we communicate this out to our public,” Williams said. “We need to be cautious in our education, so people don’t see it and assume the service is everywhere. But we will be developing education strategies.”

In addition, there are numerous operational protocols that may need to be developed as RTT matures, as with any technology, the speakers noted.

However, the potential of RTT is significant. With its ability to support both audio and text communications, Sparks said he believe RTT could be the preferred platform for all 911 exchanges—not just for those with the deaf and hearing-impaired communities.

“I really think it should,” Sparks said. “Personally, I think it should be seamless.”

Williams agreed.

“For us, we implemented primarily because we wanted equal-level access to the deaf and hearing-impaired community; however, we recognize that it is available to everyone and that it could be a much better level of service,” Williams said.

Dixon echoed this sentiment.

“For years, we’ve heard, ‘Call if you can, text if you can’t.’” Dixon said. “I’m very excited for the day when it says, ‘Call if you can, RTT if you can’t’—or promoting RTT exclusively. I think that would be a huge benefit.”