FCC Axes Archaic ASCII Rule for Better Phone Accessibility
Published Date: 8/27/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The FCC is updating the rules for Telecommunications Relay Services by removing the old requirement that TTY devices must work with ASCII format. This change affects people who use TTY-based relay services, cuts costs, and gets rid of outdated rules. The update makes the system simpler and more in line with how people actually use these services today.
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Remove TTY ASCII Format Requirement
If you use traditional TTY-based relay services, the FCC proposes to delete the rule that those services must communicate using ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). Deleting this requirement would reduce Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) costs, remove an outdated regulatory rule, and align the rules with how TTY services are used today.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Take It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in