Data / Federal rules / 2026-18478
Telecommunications Relay Service ASCII Format Requirement
The Federal Communications Commission published this final rule in the Federal Register on September 10, 2026. It took effect on October 13, 2026.
SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. It reads every rule and proposed rule in the Federal Register each morning, and this page is that reading. Name your industry once and new rules, comment deadlines and effective dates arrive in your sheet, CRM, Slack or agent as they are published.
What the agency says
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) amends its rules to eliminate the requirement that Text Telephone (TTY)-based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) be capable of communicating in the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. By removing this outdated regulatory mandate, the Commission relieves TRS providers of the obligation to maintain costly and obsolete ASCII-compatible hardware and software systems. Eliminating this requirement will reduce inefficiencies, preserve the integrity of the TRS Fund, and allow providers to redirect resources toward modern relay technologies, all without adversely impacting functional equivalence for consumers who rely on TTY-based TRS.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-18478
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
- Published
- September 10, 2026
- Takes effect
- October 13, 2026
- Dates
- Effective October 13, 2026.
- Docket
- CG Docket No. 03-123, GN Docket No. 25-133; FCC 26-56; FR ID 366314
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 47 CFR 64
- Topics
- Communications; Communications common carriers; Communications equipment; Individuals with disabilities; Telecommunications
- Pages
- 3
Other documents from the Federal Communications Commission
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Modernizing the Commission's National Environmental Policy Act Rules 2026-21347 | Proposed rule | Oct 19 |
| Upper C-Band (3.98-4.2 GHz); Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band 2026-21324 | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Petition for Reconsideration of Action in Rulemaking Proceeding; Correction 2026-21312 | Proposed rule | Oct 19 |
| Television Broadcasting Services Des Moines, Iowa 2026-21260 | Proposed rule | Oct 19 |
| Petition for Reconsideration of Action in Rulemaking Proceeding 2026-20895 | Proposed rule | Oct 13 |
| Radio Broadcasting Services; Selmer, Tennessee 2026-20464 | Final rule | Oct 6 |
| Radio Broadcasting Services; Whitehall, Michigan 2026-20463 | Final rule | Oct 6 |
| Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics Adopt 2026 Mandatory Data Collection for Incarcerated People's Communications Services 2026-20362 | Final rule | Oct 5 |
Everything from the Federal Communications Commission · Rules on communications · Rules on communications common carriers · Rules on communications equipment · Published in September 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.