Regulatory

September 18, 2012 –   The Federal Communications Commission (FFC) is having a Consumer Advisory Committee meeting on Friday, September 21, 2012 from 2:00pm-4:00pm EDT. Agenda items include, but are not limited to, recommendations on broadband access, text spamming, and an item on disability complaints processing presented by Gregory Hlibok Chief, and Susan Kimmel, Deputy Chief, Disability Rights Office. The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast live over the Internet.

The Department of Justice released a report to the President and Congress on their findings from a 2010-2011 survey-based study evaluating the accessibility of federal government electronic and information technology (EIT) in accordance to Section 508. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794d) requires federal agencies to ensure their EIT is accessible to persons with disabilities, unless an exception applies.

August 22, 2012 – The Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EEAC) will convene a meeting on September 14, 2012.  The EEAC was mandated by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) to investigate technologies, procedures and practices that would enable people with disabilities to access forthcoming Next Generation 911 (NG911) emergency services.  The EEAC working groups will present on topics such as an interim text-to-911 solution, interoperability, incorporating communication assistance at the emergency call center

July 17, 2012 – The FCC published in the Federal Register the final rule Hearing Aid Compatibility Technical Standard, adopting the 2011 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for measuring the hearing aid comparability of wireless phones.  HAC ensures that consumers have access to wireless communication services without experiencing interference from radio frequencies or other technical sources.