Final DAC Meeting Focuses on Recommendations for Next Committee
The FCC and the next iteration of the Disability Advisory Committee should address the accessibility challenges of the IoT and the accessibility of emergency communications, alongside many other accessibility issues, said the various subcommittees at the group's final meeting Tuesday. The DAC is expected to be convened under the upcoming administration by February, said Elaine Gardner, attorney adviser in the Office of the Managing Director. Several speakers praised the DAC process for opening dialogue between industry and advocates on accessibility matters. That sort of cooperation could have prevented previous technology challenges for the disabled, such as the button-less, touch-screen design of most smartphones, said American Foundation for the Blind Public Policy Director Mark Richert.
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Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel gave a quick surprise speech, telling the members she was proud of their work and they should keep working for accessibility "no matter what happens next." The "last thing" the DAC should do is "sit down and shut up, or close up shop," under the next administration, Rosenworcel said. "Please don't consider your work done today." Chairman Tom Wheeler, traveling, sent a message to DAC saying he hopes the committee is inspired by the outgoing DAC's work. The outgoing DAC issued 20 comments and recommendations on FCC policies, Gardner said. It's unclear if Rosenworcel will be confirmed for a new term and when Wheeler will leave the agency (see 1612060055).
The next FCC should be prepared to address the particular accessibility challenges of the IoT, said a recommendation from the Technology Transitions Subcommittee that was unanimously approved by the full committee. Devices that have visual displays but no audio, or a voice recognition interface with no keyboard controls, are examples of likely challenges those with disabilities face in using IoT devices, said the recommendation. The IoT "has the potential to overcome numerous barriers to equal access to societal participation facing people with disabilities," said Zainab Alkebsi, who heads the subcommittee and is policy counsel for the National Association of the Deaf. The next commission should work with industry stakeholders to raise awareness of accessibility issues with the IoT and get recommendations on how to address them, Alkebsi said. Some IoT devices don't have user interfaces of any kind, and communicate only machine to machine, said CTIA Director-External Affairs Matt Gerst.
The DAC also discussed wireless calls to 911 from the hearing impaired. Public safety answering points often treat silent calls from wireless as inadvertent calls, or "butt dials," said Avaya Chief Architect Mark Fletcher. DAC members said there's concern this could lead to emergency calls from users of accessibility services such as TTY being ignored and discussed the possibility of training 911 operators to make certain every silent call isn't a wireless user. The agency doesn't have jurisdiction over PSAPs, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Deputy Bureau Chief Karen Peltz Strauss said. The proliferation of real-time text technology may exacerbate the issue, Gerst said.
The next DAC should consider the accessibility issues caused by convergence, Richert said. Regulations designed to make devices accessible need to keep up with the changing characteristics of mobile devices that can now perform many of the same functions, whether they are phones, tablets or e-readers, he said. The DAC should also consider the issues of international standards, which can affect accessibility of devices, Richert said.