Today:  FCC Accessibility Act Report, FCC 2018 ITSP and CMRS Regulatory Fee Data

FCC Accessibility Act Report

The FCC is seeking comment on its on tentative findings for the biennial report to Congress required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).  The Report will provide an assessment of industry compliance over the past two years with sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Communications Act, which collectively require telecommunications and advanced communications services (ACS) and equipment to be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.  The Report will also address accessibility barriers that still exist with respect to new communications technologies, the effect of the accessibility-related recordkeeping and enforcement requirements under the Act on the development and deployment of such new technologies, and information about the number, nature of and actions taken to resolve complaints alleging violations of the CVAA.  Comments are due August 23, 2018.

The FCC tentatively finds that continued improvements in the accessibility and usability of many covered services and equipment have been made since the 2016 CVAA Biennial Report, and that there has been a continued effort by the affected industries to include people with disabilities in the design and development of their products and services.  However, it did we tentatively find that gaps continue to exist with respect to (1) the availability of accessible mobile phones with low end features, functions, and prices (collectively, non-smartphones), (2) the existence of accessible alerting features on video calls, and (3) the availability of accessible telecommunications and ACS devices for people who are deaf-blind.

FCC 2018 ITSP and CMRS Regulatory Fee Data

The FCC announced that FY 2018 Interstate Telecommunications Service Providers (ITSP) and Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) data is now available for viewing on its Electronic filing and payment system (Fee Filer). To view the data, providers will need to log into Fee  Filer with their FCC Registration Number (FRN) and password and follow the instructions set out in the Public Notice.  The FCC has not yet announced the final 2018 regulatory fee amounts.   Inteserra Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 6/5/18.

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