Hamilton CapTel introduces Auto Captions, fully automated computer-generated captions for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS)

New service enhancement provides customers with the ability to choose captioning preferences on Hamilton CapTel phones and mobile apps.

AURORA, Neb., June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hamilton^® CapTel^®, industry-leading captioned telephone service for people with hearing loss, introduces captioning preferences providing customers with the choice of Auto Captions or Assisted Captions for phone calls.

Hamilton CapTel announced the new offering today at the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) 2022 Convention in Tampa, Florida, a premier annual convention for consumers with hearing loss.

Similar to captions on television, Hamilton CapTel delivers captions for phone conversations so people with hearing loss can confidently use the phone again – available at no cost¹. The new Auto Captions offering is based on advanced Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, developed by CapTel, Inc. Hamilton CapTel customers can now choose between operator-generated Assisted Captions and the new computer-generated Auto Captions.

"We're delighted to provide our customers with this additional choice, giving them a major increase in the speed and accuracy of the phone captions our service provides," says Dixie Ziegler, vice president of Hamilton Relay^®, Hamilton CapTel's parent company. "With Auto Captions, there are no delays at the beginning of a call, and captions appear in real-time. Our commitment has always been to offer choice to our customers whether in equipment or now, in captioning methods. The ability to choose between Auto Captions and Assisted Captions is an incredible advancement and we're pleased to bring this benefit to our customers."

With Auto Captions:

• Captions are entirely computer-generated
• No operator is involved in the call
• There are no delays at the beginning of a call
• Captions are delivered in real-time

With Assisted Captions:

• An operator (i.e., Captioning Assistant, or CA) assists with the call
• The CA may include information that supports the call, such as adding corrections to the captions, indicating background sounds and music on hold, and identifying male and female voices
• In situations with poor line quality (i.e., background noise or static on the line), switching to Assisted Captions may improve accuracy

In addition to this new innovative offering, Hamilton CapTel was recently rated the best captioning service in the industry for accuracy and speed by The National Test Lab, operated by MITRE Corporation.² This test is the industry standard for rating captioned telephone providers.

Hamilton CapTel is a service of Hamilton Relay, a division of Hamilton Telecommunications, a diversified communications and technology services provider based in Aurora, Neb. Founded in 1901, Hamilton Telecommunications has grown to encompass eight primary company divisions allowing Hamilton to operate on a local, regional and national basis. For more information, please visit HamiltonCapTel.com.

CapTel, Inc., is the inventor of Captioned Telephone technology, for both IP-based and traditional analog line telephone communications and provides a variety of CapTel telephone models.

Founded in 1979, the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is the nation's leading organization representing consumers with hearing loss. The mission of HLAA is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy.

¹Independent third-party professional certification required.
²The National Test Lab, operated by MITRE Corporation, FCC Telecommunications Relay Services Project: Captioning Quality Testing: Hamilton's ASR Scenario (dated Mar. 7, 2022)

FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS ANYONE BUT REGISTERED USERS WITH HEARING LOSS FROM USING INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) CAPTIONED TELEPHONES WITH THE CAPTIONS TURNED ON. IP Captioned Telephone Service may use a live operator. The operator generates captions of what the other party to the call says. These captions are then sent to your phone. There is a cost for each minute of captions generated, paid from a federally administered fund. To learn more, visit fcc.gov. Hamilton CapTel may be used to make 911 calls but may not function the same as traditional 911 services. For more information about the benefits and limitations of Hamilton CapTel and Emergency 911 calling, visit HamiltonCapTel.com/911. Voice and data plans may be required when using Hamilton CapTel on a smartphone or tablet. Third-party charges may apply: the Hamilton CapTel phone requires telephone service and high-speed Internet access. Wi-Fi capable. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. CapTel is a registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc. Copyright ©2022 Hamilton Relay. Hamilton is a registered trademark of Nedelco, Inc., d/b/a/ Hamilton Telecommunications.

SOURCE Hamilton CapTel