URrelay closes in Cedar Rapids after FCC certification lapse

A Cedar Rapids company that provides relay services for the deaf and hearing-impaired closed Monday after problems with federal certification led to a loss in revenue.

URrelay laid off its 55 employees Monday, telling them its future is uncertain because of a lack of Federal Communications Commission certification for its relay services.

Relay services provide operators that allow the deaf and hearing-impaired to communicate over the telecommunications system for daily needs. The services are paid for by the FCC-regulated Universal Service fund, which telephone users are required to support through a monthly fee on their bills.

URrelay found itself out of compliance with new FCC rules enacted last year in an effort to prevent relay service billing fraud after the non-profit for which it provides services failed to gain certification, according to Bill McClelland, partner and chief operating officer in the business.

McClelland said URrelay applied for certification on its own and continued to provide services at its own expense since Jan. 10, in hopes the FCC certification would come quickly. After more than six weeks, however, he said it's still unclear if certification will be coming, and the company can't continue operating without revenue.

Read more at Business380.com