FCC Takes Major Step For People With Disabilities

The FCC advanced the Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) of 2010 in a move the Commission is calling "the most significant accessibility legislation since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990." The move was a procedural one, adopting a Report and Order that implements several sections of the Act which together mandate that "people with disabilities have access to the modern and innovative communications technologies of the 21st-century..."

According to the FCC, there is a pressing need for these regulations. According to the Commission, while nearly 70 percent of Americans have home broadband, only 41 percent of those with disabilities have the same. Further, the FCC says that 40 percent use Internet and email functions on a mobile phone, "yet not all Americans with disabilities are able to share in these advanced technologies.   Implementation of the CVAA is critical in addressing these inequities for both home and mobile broadband adoption."

Specifically, Section 716 of the Act requires providers and manufacturers to make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities, unless it is impossible to do so. In that case, "these covered entities must make their services and equipment compatible with commonly used assistive technologies.  Section 717 requires new recordkeeping and enforcement procedures for these covered entities."

In a separate statement, FCC Chairman Genachowski sought to gain industry support by pointing out that these regulations stimulate, "the development of accessibility solutions that will provide a new world of opportunities for people with disabilities and avoiding counterproductive burdens on product development."

FCC Takes Critical Steps To Bring Advanced Communications Services To Those With Disabilities (FCC press release, Oct. 7, 2011)

Statement Of Chairman Julius Genachowski (Oct. 7, 2011)