An estimated 4 thousand people with hearing difficulties throughout Australia will lose their CapTel phone service next year.
A Senates Estimate hearing on 21 October 2019 asked questions of the senior officers at the Department of Communications involved in negotiations with the CapTel license-holder and the soon-to-be-replaced deliverer of the National Relay Service (of which CapTel is a service offering).
A transcript of the questions & answers is available to read and download: CapTel issue — Senate Estimates Hearing extract 21Oct2019
What is a CapTel captioned telephone? It works like any other telephone with one important addition: it displays every word the caller says throughout the conversation. CapTel phone users can listen to the caller and can also read the written captions in the CapTel’s display window.