Press Release

PUC Approves Appointments to Pennsylvania Telecommunications Relay Service Advisory Board

Published on 4/15/2021

Filed under: Telecommunications

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today appointed three members to the Pennsylvania Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Advisory Board, including A. Kay Tyberg, Blair County; Amy S. Goldman, Philadelphia; and Sharon Behun, Dauphin County.

The members will hold two-year terms through Jan. 31, 2023.

Ms. Tyberg, a Blair County resident, most recently served as TRS Advisory Board Chairperson.  Her credentials and commitment to the goals of the hearing, deaf, or hearing or deaf speech impaired are extensive. She has worked closely with the Office of Aging Ombudsman for PA and the Hearing Loss Association of America, including the Lycoming County Chapter. Ms. Tyberg has worked as a deaf advocate in Pennsylvania and in other states and has been active in educating hearing parents and late deaf adults about accessibility to Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), Captioned Telephone and relay services for family members with hearing loss. 

Ms. Goldman, a Philadelphia resident, has served on the TRS Advisory Board in various capacities, including Secretary.  Ms. Goldman is a speech-language pathologist whose career has focused on how technology empowers people with significant speech impairments.  She has conducted training on the importance of telecommunications for people with communication disabilities, both pre-service and continuing education, with an emphasis for transitioning youth.  Her accomplishments also include providing testimony to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on access to telecommunications for individuals with intellectual disabilities.  Ms. Goldman also has been involved through the Temple University Institute on Disabilities with the actual administration of Pennsylvania’s telecommunications device distribution program (TDDP).

Ms. Behun, a resident of Dauphin County, has been working with people who are deaf, deaf/blind, and hard of hearing in various capacities over the past 20 years in Pennsylvania as an advocate, registered sign language interpreter, and former Director of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Labor & Industry’s Office for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (ODHH).  Ms. Behun continues to be active in various associations which allow her to expand the network of providers and key stakeholders into the disability community.

The TRS Advisory Board, established in 1990, works to ensure the continued success of Pennsylvania’s TRS program. This program offers means to assist persons with disabilities in communications, including traditional telephone relay services, along with video relay and internet relay services. 

The advisory board meets quarterly and includes representatives of the PUC, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Pennsylvania Telephone Association and other stakeholders, along with individuals selected to represent the broader community of persons with hearing or speech issues.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket No.: M-00900239

Contact:

• Denise McCracken
  Senior Communications Specialist
  717-787-5722
  demccracken@pa.gov