Federal / Regulatory

August marks the annual Congressional recess, but work continued at regulatory agencies.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), for example, released a Notice of Inquiry in the Matter of Inquiry Concerning Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion [GN Docket No. 17-199] requesting stakeholder input on a number of issues, not the least of which are considerations on how to evaluate and include mobile services and...

In May, the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing regarding emergency alerting systems in the United States. The questions and answers during the hearing reflected research and development efforts on the modernization and maturation of the national systems. Questions from Congressional members ranged from technical to specific concerns regarding their district such as Would seniors or socioeconomically challenged...

In April, the United States Senate passed a resolution [S.Res.122], designating April as National 9-1-1 Education Month. The resolution acknowledges modernizing the system, access for people with disabilities via a variety of methods, and public education, including children, on how and when to use 9-1-1. The Resolution calls attention to the various issues facing the public, government and industry stakeholders. Though April is past, awareness and education efforts are...

In March, legislative activities saw the introduction of two bills ADA Lawsuit Clarification Act of 2017 [H.R. 1493] in California and the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 [H.R.620] in Texas. These bills propose that the complainant engages in negotiation and remediation prior to filing a private civil suit. The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and Coalition Partners oppose H.R. 620, stating that it “would create significant obstacles for people with disabilities to...

Thursday, March 2, 2017 - 4:20 PM PST - Wireless RERC researcher, John Morris, gave an update on data collected from the Wireless RERC's Survey of User Needs (SUN).  His presentation provides an analysis of the impact of demographic variables and disability type on smartphone use by adults with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities based on 2015-2016 national survey.

This document provides a description of some apps that can be used to enhance WEA access. It explains different apps, their features and where you can locate them to better understand WEA messages and aid in responding to WEA the messages appropriately. Provided are links to more information for each app.

In February, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) began accepting nominations for the Chairman’s Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman’s AAA). The awards ”recognize the efforts of individuals, organizations, academic institutions, companies and government agencies to make communications tools more accessible to people with disabilities.” Send nominations to chairmansaaa@fcc.gov.

In Wireless RERC news,...