americanVRS Provides Free Video Relay Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

NEW YORK, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- American Network, Inc., announced today the launch of its Video Relay Service (VRS), americanVRS, its third relay service designed for those with hearing loss.

American Network's commitment to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing introduces a new VRS service to the TRS industry; offering both innovative technology and adherence to users' needs to achieve functional equivalency and great efficacy in the field of telecommunications. americanVRS employs innovative technology, creating a user-friendly relay experience between those who use American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English.

Qualified americanVRS Video Interpreters (VI's) connect Deaf and Hearing Users via videoconferencing. The VI then interprets the call, voicing the conversation over the phone to the hearing user in English and signing back to the deaf user in ASL - all while appearing on the Deaf/Hard of Hearing user's web camera via web interface. This service can be used from the comfort of one's own home, as the technology functions via standard phone line for the hearing user and an internet connection in conjunction with a web camera/Video Phone (VP) for the Deaf user.

This formidable technology - available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - is free for those who are medically recognized as Deaf or Hard of Hearing and use American Sign Language as a primary means of communication. It is funded by the FCC and available for Americans in the USA. All calls are handled with the utmost level of professionalism and confidentiality.

americanVRS is specifically designed to bridge the audio and visual facets of communication. americanVRS' skilled VI's serve as a conduit between the auditory language of hearing individuals, and the visual language of American Sign Language.

The telecommunications relay service market is undergoing profound changes in both regulatory and technology infrastructure as the need to communicate through a variety of deaf user interaction channels becomes more prevalent. As a result, TRS providers must find more efficient means to provide VRS services for technologically savvy deaf users. americanVRS interoperates with diverse core systems through Web interfaces that seamlessly allow deaf and hard of hearing users to place and receive calls with their hearing counterparts.

To register for this free service and receive your assigned 10-digit geographic telephone number, create an account at www.americanvrs.com. americanVRS is your communication link to equal access.

After receiving FCC approval in January 2009 to provide TRS services, American Network launched novel technology into the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities including PhoneCaption.

About American Network, Inc.

Since its inception in 1991, American Network, Inc. has offered a variety of telecom services including internet services, CLEC services, and others. With its FCC approval, it has transformed itself into a Relay Service provider and has created a new offering under the trade name americanVRS. American.net has always been in the forefront of innovation both on technology and services.

For more information, visit our website at www.American.net.

    Contact: Azadeh Malekan, (212) 200-2030
    [email protected]

SOURCE American Network, Inc.