Regulatory

November 2, 2012 —At a meeting held on November 2, 2012 the Mobile Health (mHealth) Task Force of the Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) recommended that the FCC include and address the interests and accessibility needs of people with disabilities, low-income individuals and other under-served groups when evaluating and making recommendations regarding “affordable connectivity and compatibility for telehealth devices.”

October 15, 2012—In October, petitions filed by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) were addressed by the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission [CG Docket No. 10-213].

October 2012—The FCC announced that the next Consumer Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Friday, November 2, 2012 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M EST. The Commission will hear two recommendations from its Disability Working Group.

September 28, 2012 –   In September a consent decree was entered into by the Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, HTC America, Inc., a subsidiary of HTC Corporation, and HTC Corporation. The Consent Decree [DA 12-1381] ends the Enforcement Bureau’s investigation of HTC’s possible violations of Sections 20.19(c)(1) and 20.19(d)(1) of the Commission’s rules related to hearing aid-compatible handsets.

September 19, 2012— The National Council on Disability (NCD) released its annual report on U.S. disability policy titled the 2012 NCD Progress Report. The report presents NCD’s assessment of federal disability policy, the impact that emerging trends and policies had on quality of life and provides recommendations to the legislative and executive branches, including: the U.S.