Regulatory

A workshop, held by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Consumer and the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, is promoting the wider use and increased accessibility of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). On Thursday, August 27, 2015 from 1:00pm to 4:30pm learn how to improve the usefulness of the EAS for emergency managers at the state and local levels and how to improve the accessibility of alerts to people with disabilities.

June 2015 - Video game equipment, software, and related services are now required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) to be accessible to and usable by users with disabilities. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is permitted to provide waivers to the accessibility requirements only when the equipment is designed primarily for purposes other than communication. Unlike the some other consoles and online game play services, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) asked the FCC to extend a waiver that expires on October 8, 2015.

February 2015 – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the technology trade association that represents the U.S. consumer electronics industry, was appointed as an inaugural member to the FCC’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC). In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the DAC will provide policy guidance to the FCC and assist in educating the public on disability-related matters, facilitating the participation of consumers with disabilities.

On February 10, 2015, Dr. Helena Mitchell, Executive Director at Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications and Principal Investigator for the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (Wireless RERC), was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC).

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), submitted comments in response to the FCC’s Public Notice, Request for Updated Information And Comment On Wireless Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Regulations [WT Docket Nos. 07-250 and 10-254].