Hamilton's automatic captions top assisted ones in FCC lab tests

In the FCC's National Test Lab, Hamilton's automatic captions had average error rates of 0.9 to 7.7 across five scenarios, against 10.7 to 23.3 for human-assisted providers.

  • Not rated a person

    The FCC measured accuracy and delay on test calls and later found that the service met its minimum standards, but it reports no outcome for users.

Depth runs from 1, a convenience or time saved, to 5, a life or a livelihood preserved.

Status
Reported benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

Two independent regulatory documents support the benefit.

Compared with

Average word error rates of CA-assisted providers on the same five call scenarios. Measured.

Without the system
10.7 to 23.3
With it
0.9 to 7.7
The system’s part
The National Test Lab measured Hamilton's automatic captions against those of human-assisted providers on the same call scenarios, which isolates the platform's output. The assisted captions also start from speech recognition, which assistants feed and correct. The FCC names no vendor and does not show that the recognizers learn from data.
Later
Persisted, 17 December 2024. The FCC granted Hamilton five-year full certification for captions by assistants and by speech recognition, after reviewing its annual reports and its actual provision of the service.
Not yet checked
LimitsCosts and harmsLearns from data

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Benefit type
Improved Task Accuracy
System
Hamilton's ASR-only (fully automatic) Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS)
Made by
Hamilton Relay, Inc., on speech recognition from several unnamed vendors
Used by
Hamilton Relay, Inc.
Where
United States
Stage
In routine use
Date
, when the source was published
Kind
Aggregate result
Broad benefit
Documenting/Recording Information
Collections
Scrutiny and findings
Last revised
1 November 2026

Sources

  1. Regulatory document, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Federal Communications Commission, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Memorandum Opinion and Order, DA 22-442, CG Docket No. 03-123 (conditional certification of Hamilton Relay, Inc. to provide IP CTS on a fully automatic basis). Adopted and released 20 April 2022.

    In repeated tests of five call scenarios, Hamilton’s ASR-only platform achieved average Word Error Rates ranging from 0.9 to 7.7, while CA-assisted providers’ average Word Error Rates ranged from 10.7 to 23.3, depending on the scenario.
    Hamilton’s ASR-only scores are also generally better than those of other ASR-only platforms, which averaged from 4.5 to 17.1 over the same set of call scenarios.

  2. Regulatory document, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Federal Communications Commission, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. Order, DA 24-1265, CG Docket No. 03-123 (full certification of Hamilton Relay, Inc. to provide IP CTS). Adopted and released 17 December 2024.

    Based on our review and investigation of the amended application, Hamilton’s annual reports, and other relevant information regarding Hamilton’s actual provision of IP CTS, we find that Hamilton will provide IP CTS in compliance with the applicable mandatory minimum TRS standards.

  3. Other, by the makers. Context or contrary evidence.

    Hamilton Relay. Hamilton CapTel home page (hamiltoncaptel.com), service notice. Accessed 1 November 2026.

    Automatic speech recognition software generates captions of what the other party to the call says, and, in certain circumstances, a live communications assistant may be included on the call to make needed corrections and/or add call details.

Details

AI system

Workflow

Hamilton's platform drew on several speech recognition vendors, so that others could carry the traffic if one failed. Hamilton used the automatic mode as it judged right for users' needs, and users could state a preference. Users could switch from automatic to assisted captions during a call.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

Neither Hamilton nor its vendors may keep the audio or captions once a call ends. Calls to 911 go mainly to communications assistants, and an assistant joins an automatically answered emergency call as soon as one is free. The service must meet the FCC's minimum standards in actual operation.

Entry details

Sector

Telecommunications relay services / accessibility for people with hearing loss.

Purpose

Hamilton Relay built its ASR-only captioning mode to give people with hearing loss captions of their phone calls without a communications assistant.

30 more questions not yet checked

model, release, provider, role, configuration, inputs and outputs, autonomy, human oversight, beneficiaries, reach, distribution and access, duration, every measurement question, every money question, ownership and control, dependencies, cross-border connections, geopolitical implications, replication attempts, availability, institutional decision, grounds, action and result, success criterion, every evidence question, observed or intended, alternative assessments, related entries, other identifiers, category mappings.

Cite this record

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). Hamilton's automatic captions top assisted ones in FCC lab tests (AIBD-0996). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 1 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-0996.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 7.0)

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