Investigating the IP Relay Shutdown

Throwback updates. I updated some links, and provided more context about rates. I also changed Sprint to T-Mobile, to reflect the merging of Sprint and T-Mobile. Since this is a throwback article, it probably will not receive updates beyond this point. Original article. For most Americans, the process of using the telephone isn't even considered. It's as natural as putting on clothes or jewelry. Most People don't have to worry about their speech or articulation, and don't think about the challenges of placing a phone call. For the estimated 10,511,400 Americans with impaired hearing or speech compiled from fact sheets produced by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, however, they have to rely on telephone relay services to make calls. Text of the ADA defines relay services as telephone services that enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who have a speech impairment, to communicate with a person who can hear in a manner that is "functionally…