Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee; Meeting

ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD

Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee; Meeting

AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board

(Access Board) gives notice of the dates and location of the meetings

of the Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee.

DATES: The Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee will meet on

December 16, 17, and 18, 1996 beginning at 9:00 a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Steptoe & Johnson building,

1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW., Washington, DC on the concourse level.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the

meetings, please contact Dennis Cannon, Office of Technical and

Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers

Compliance Board, 1331 F Street, NW., suite 1000, Washington, D.C.

20004-1111. Telephone number (202) 272-5434 extension 35 (voice); (202)

272-5449 (TTY). Electronic mail address: [email protected]. This

document is available in alternate formats (cassette tape, braille,

large print, or computer disk) upon request. It is also available on

the Internet at http://www.access-board.gov/notices/taacmtg.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 24, 1996, the Access Board published

a notice appointing members to its Telecommunications Access Advisory

Committee (Committee). 61 FR 26155 (May 24, 1996). The Committee will

make recommendations to the Access Board on accessibility guidelines

for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment. These

recommendations will be used by the Access Board to develop

accessibility guidelines in conjunction with the Federal Communications

Commission (FCC) under section 255 (e) of the Telecommunications Act of

1996. The Committee is composed of

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representatives of manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and

customer premises equipment; organizations representing the access

needs of individuals with disabilities; telecommunications providers

and carriers; and other persons affected by the guidelines.

At its first meeting on June 12-14, 1996, the Committee took the

following actions:

The statutory definitions of telecommunications,

telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment are to be

construed broadly.

Providing access is not a ``change in form'' of

information within the meaning of the statute's definition of

telecommunications and, therefore, not excluded.

A listserv was created through the Trace Center: taac-

[email protected]. To subscribe, send e-mail to [email protected]

with the message subscribe taac-l .

Accepted the application of the American Speech-Language

and Hearing Association and Motorola to join the Committee.

At its second meeting on August 14-16, 1996, the Committee

agreed on the following points:

In customer premises equipment (CPE), it is not always

possible to separate the effects of software from hardware and one

manufacturer may choose to perform the same function with one or the

other. Therefore, the guidelines must cover both.

It is not always possible to determine whether a

particular function resides with the CPE, the telecommunications

carrier, or the source material. Therefore, the guidelines will be

developed with the assumption that the function resides in the CPE and

urge the FCC to apply the same guidelines to entities and services

under its jurisdiction.

The Committee also agreed that the existing definitions of

CPE and telecommunications equipment are sufficient.

While the definition of ``readily achievable'' in the

Telecommunications Act is the same as in the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA), the term is applied differently. In the ADA,

the term applies to barrier removal in existing facilities whereas the

Telecommunications Act applies the term to the manufacture of new

equipment. An ad hoc task group was formed to develop criteria to

assess ``readily achievable'' in this new context.

Subcommittees on Compliance Assessment and Guidelines

Content were created. Discussions will be conducted primarily by e-

mail. To participate in a subcommittee, send e-mail to [email protected]

board.gov.

At its third meeting on September 25-27, 1996, the Committee took

the following actions:

Accepted the application of Microsoft to join the

Committee.

The subcommittee on Compliance Assessment reviewed and

revised a draft list of criteria for an effective conformity assessment

model, then developed consensus around fifteen of these criteria, with

another five criteria needing further clarification or discussion. The

subcommittee divided into two work groups: Consumer Information/

Verification and Coordination Point/Practitioners' Qualifications.

The subcommittee on Guidelines Content divided into two

work groups: Process Guidelines, and Performance and Design Guidelines.

Each work group developed a set of principles and criteria for further

discussion. Draft products are posted on a Trace- sponsored Web site.

Discussion will be by e-mail (via the main TAAC-L listserv) and by

teleconference call. The URL for the Web site is http://trace.wisc.edu/

taac/workdoc.htm.

At its fourth meeting on November 6-8, 1996, the Committee

took the following actions:

Accepted the application of Netscape to join the

Committee.

Agreed to exchange information with European experts

working on similar issues to help promote consistency.

The Compliance Assessment subcommittee worked through its

draft document and flagged and prioritized issues. Additional issues

were also raised and will be addressed in the coming weeks. Issues

include: (1) should the guidelines require manufacturers to follow

specific steps but give suggested strategies; (2) can the use of

``Access Engineers'' be required or only suggested; (3) how to make the

process clear and understandable; (4) content of a Declaration of

Conformity; (5) how to deal with the transition from now until ``Access

Engineers'' are available. The Process work group of the Guidelines

Content subcommittee met with the Compliance Assessment subcommittee to

discuss overlapping issues including documentation, product testing and

specialized CPE.

The Guidelines Content subcommittee draft contains

performance guidelines, including goals and strategies, followed by a

rationale. The document also includes definitions and suggested

techniques for providing access in specific cases. The document also

suggests a current list of strategies and techniques for access.

The Committee will meet on the dates and at the location announced

in this notice. The meetings are open to the public. There will be a

public comment period each day for persons interested in presenting

their views to the Committee. The facility is accessible to individuals

with disabilities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening

systems and real time transcription will be available. The Committee

will meet for the final time on January 14-15, 1997 at a location to be

announced.

Lawrence W. Roffee,

Executive Director.

[FR Doc. 96-30444 Filed 11-27-96; 8:45 am]

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