Web Accessibility Strategies

Appendix A
Summary of the FCC Rules and Policies Implementing Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and Section 251(a)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934
July 14, 1999

Adopted rules based upon the Access Board guidelines, with a few exceptions.

• Required manufacturers and service providers to ensure that telecommunications products and services are accessible to people with disabilities, if readily available.
• Manufacturers and service providers must develop a process to evaluate the accessibility, usability, and compatibility of the covered services and equipment, and incorporate such an evaluation throughout the product design, as early and as consistently as possible.
• Required manufacturers and service providers to ensure that the information and documentation it provides to its customers is accessible to customers with disabilities, if readily achievable.
• Adopted the ADA definition of disability in its entirety in our rules.
• Adopted a definition of accessibility, based on the Access Board definition that incorporates the list of ways in which the functions of a product should be made accessible.
• Adopted criteria for determining compatibility.
• Consistent with the ADA, defined readily achievable as easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense. Determinations as to what is readily achievable will be made on a case-by-case basis considering factors which include (1) the cost of the action; (2) the nature of the action; and (3) the overall resources available to the entity.
• Determined that Section 255, by its terms, applies to the design and production of each individual product and service offered by a manufacturer or service provider. A manufacturer's or service provider's obligation to review the accessibility of a product or service, and incorporate accessibility features where readily achievable must occur at every natural opportunity.
• Required modest accessibility features that can be incorporated into the product design with very little or no difficulty or expense to be universally deployed. For those features or actions that cannot be universally deployed, but are readily achievable to incorporate into some products and services, manufacturers and service providers must distribute those features across their products or service in a manner that will maximize accessibility.
• Determined that, pursuant to Section 251(a)(2), a telecommunications carrier may not install network features, functions, or capabilities that do not comply with accessibility requirements rules.
• Determined that telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment include software integral to the equipment's telecommunications operation.
• Determined that accessibility requirements of this Order extend to the providers of voicemail and interactive menu and the manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and CPE which performs those functions.
• Adopted an informal complaint procedure where complaints are forwarded to the manufacturers or service providers who have 30 days to attempt to resolve the customer's concerns and respond to the FCC. The FCC may, based on complaints or its own motion, launch an investigation to determine if manufacturer or service providers are complying with the rules.
• Consumers are not required to contact the manufacturer and service provider before filing a complaint.
• Required service providers and manufacturers to establish a contact for handling accessibility-related complaints.
• Did not adopt a standing requirement.