US telecom rules will stop requiring support for a 1960s text format

The US telecom regulator wants to remove a rule that requires relay services to support an old text format. This means companies will no longer have to maintain systems for a technology almost nobody uses anymore.

For decades, telecom relay services for people with hearing or speech disabilities had to support a text format from the 1960s. This rule meant extra costs and technical complexity for a service that has largely moved to modern internet-based communication. Removing the rule lets these services focus resources on current technologies.