Today, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) released a report detailing the private equity duopoly that dominates the FCC-funded Video Relay Service (VRS), a critical translation tool for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals provided by the federal government, used for facilitating communication with family, medical providers, emergency services, and others. “Lost in Interpretation: Private equity’s capture of a vital sign language translation tool” examines the risks created by private equity ownership of two of the three total VRS companies in the United States – Sorenson Communications, owned by Ariel Alternatives and The Blackstone Group, and ZP Better Together, owned by Kinderhook Industries and backed by The Carlyle Group.
ASL interpreters working with VRS companies have reported difficult working conditions: workers experience high levels of muscular strain, distress, and burnout, leading to high turnover, interpreter shortages and job dissatisfaction. While the FCC increased its reimbursement rates to VRS companies for interpreters to “revitalize” the industry in October 2023, workers at Sorenson and ZP Better Together report that they have not seen that reflected in wages.