We call on EU negotiators to guarantee that the Digital Networks Act includes provisions that guarantee video and text relay services are always available.
The call is made in a joint letter signed by 4 organisations and addressed to the Irish Presidency, the European Commission, and Members of the European Parliament responsible for negotiating the Act.
The open letter points out that, despite recommendations in the European Electronic Communications Code, many Member States have failed to guarantee accessible communications and provide video and text relay services to deaf and hard of hearing people. Signatories include the European Disability Forum, the European Emergency Number Association, the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People, and the European Union of the Deaf.
It notes that research found that “only 8 [Member States] provide both text and video relay services, only 7 provide video relay services on a 24/7 basis and only 5 provide video relay services on a 24/7 basis. It also shows that access to emergency services is far from being a reality: “only 9 Member States enable persons with disabilities to contact emergency services through video relay services on a 24/7 basis, and 6 Member States enable 24/7 emergency access through text relay services.” This leads to a dangerous lack of access to lifesaving services.
This research shows that similar recommendations included in the proposed Digital Networks Act will likely be ineffective. That is why we demand stronger measures in the Digital Networks Act:
- All Member States to provide both video relay and text relay services on a 24/7 basis;
- Persons with disabilities to be able to contact emergency services including through video relay and text relay services on a 24/7 basis; and
- Video relay and text relay services to comply with minimum quality requirements, including with regard to connection times, waiting times, reliability, and service quality.
Read the open letter ‘Electronic communications for all: 24/7 relay services across the EU‘