Wisconsin Telecommunications

                                                   Relay System

For everyone, including the thousands of people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind or Speech Disabled, Wisconsin offers an important public service called Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay System (WTRS).

 

How do I connect to the relay?

Dial 7-7-1 from any phone in Wisconsin or the appropriate WTRS toll-free number below to connect to the Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay System.  Give the Communication Assistant (CA) the area code and number you want to call. During a relay call, the CA will voice everything typed by the text user and type everything spoken by the voice user.

What is captioned telephone?

Captioned Telephone or Cap Tel is a captioned telephone service similar to the closed captioning provided on most television programs.  The Cap Tel phone allows the user to read captions of the other party’s conversation on the phone’s built-in screen while listening to the voice of the other party.  For more information on receiving a Cap Tel phone, contact Todd Behanna at (800) 600-7826 V/TTY or todd.behanna@hamiltonrelay.com

How Do I apply for specialized equipment?

The Telecommunications Equipment Purchase Program (TEEP) is designed to help people with disabilities buy specialized equipment needed to use basic telephone services.  The TEPP is one of several different programs paid for by the Wisconsin Universal Service Fund (USF) established by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.  Money collected from Wisconsin telephone service providers goes into the USF.

For more information on TEPP, contact TEPP: (608) 267-1479 or (608) 231-3305. Voice or check out their website: http://psc.wi.gov/consumerinfo/assistancepgms/tepp/tepp-ind.htm 

For quicker application process, online application is available.