Press Release

PUC Announces Appointments to PA Telecommunications Relay Service Advisory Board

Published on 2/19/2026

Filed under: Telecommunications

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today announced appointments of two members to the Pennsylvania Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Advisory Board, including Amy S. Goldman, Philadelphia; and Paul Richard McGann Jr., Pittsburgh.

The members will hold two-year terms through Feb. 19, 2028.

Ms. Goldman, a Philadelphia resident, is a reappointment, having served on the TRS Advisory Board in various capacities, including Chairman and 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 on 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 had been involved through the Temple University Institute on Disabilities with the actual administration of Pennsylvania’s telecommunications device distribution program (TDDP). Her work reflects decades of commitment to advocacy, support and specialized service within this community.

Mr. McGann, a resident of Pittsburgh, is a returning member to the TRS Advisory Board, having previously served from 1992-2000 and having worked to establish Pennsylvania’s TDDP. Now retired, Mr. McGann has been working with people who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing in various capacities over the past 50 years in Pennsylvania. Beginning his work in 1974, focusing on providing comprehensive support to the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing educational community as an intervenor, supply manager, briallist and interpreter. He later founded the Western Pennsylvania Association of the Deafblind and the Pittsburgh Deafblind Lions Club. Mr. McGann continues to be active in various associations which allow him to contribute significantly to improving communication, independence and access to educational personal resources for individuals with dual sensory impairments.

About the TRS Advisory Board

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 advisory board seeks additional public members who can represent people with disabilities that challenge independent telephone access. Apply here.

About the PUC

Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X, 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