FCC Announces E911 IP Disability Access Summit

DA 06-1908
Released: September 21, 2006

FCC ANNOUNCES E9-1-1 DISABILITY ACCESS SUMMIT

The FCC will hold a Summit to focus on E9-1-1 calling
and access for persons with hearing and speech
disabilities on Wednesday, November 15, 2006. Last
year, the Commission initiated a proceeding seeking
comment on how the Commission can ensure that
consumers using Internet-based forms of
Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), specifically
Video Relay Services (VRS) and Internet Protocol Relay
(IP Relay), can access emergency services in the same
way as all other consumers. In the Matter of
Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech
for Individuals with Hearing and Speech Disabilities,
FCC 05-196, 20 FCC Rcd 19,476 (2005). Internet-based
TRS calls do not originate on the PSTN and therefore
present unique challenges. The E9-1-1 Disability
Access Summit is intended to provide an opportunity to
explore challenges and potential solutions for users
of Internet-based TRS services to access Public Safety
Answering Points (PSAPs) by calling 9-1-1.

The goals of the Summit are:
(1) To identify the various types of direct
Internet-based E9-1-1 access that people with hearing
or speech disabilities need;
(2) To identify the technologies, services, and
applications through which access should be offered;
and
(3) To define the technological, policy, and
commercial issues involved in providing the needed
access to persons with hearing and speech
disabilities.

Participants will include representatives of other
federal agencies; state and local emergency service
providers; telecommunications and TRS industry;
hearing and speech disability advocates; and FCC
staff. Lessons learned from this Summit will help the
FCC design and focus efforts to improve emergency
communications access for persons with hearing and
speech disabilities. The Summit is open to the public
and seating will be available on a first-come,
first-served basis. The Summit will include panel
discussions on the following three topics: needs of
the hearing and speech disability communities; state
of technology; and, interim options and solutions.

The summit date, time and location are:

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 15, 2006
9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Location: Federal Communications Commission
Commission Meeting Room, TW-C305
445 12th Street, SW.
Washington, DC 20554

Facilities
The FCC is located at 445 12th Street SW, Washington,
DC 20554. Directions and a map of the streets near
the FCC are available at
http://www.fcc.gov/portalsmap.html. The Commission
Meeting Room is equipped with a Wi-Fi Internet
network, an assistive listening device system, and is
accessible to persons with disabilities.
Security
Please note that the FCC is a federal building with
security requirements. All attendees will be required
to pass through security and present a
government-issued form of identification. The FCC’s
Commission Meeting Room will be opened early to
facilitate access to the building. Attendees are
encouraged to allocate additional time to enter the
building.
Webcast & Video
The Summit will be webcast live and also archived for
later viewing. Access to and additional information
concerning the webcast is available at
http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/. Open captioning will
be provided for the webcast.
Reasonable Accommodation
Open captioning and sign language interpreters will be
provided for this event. Other reasonable
accommodations for people with disabilities are
available upon request. Include a description of the
accommodation you will need including as much detail
as you can. Also include a way we can contact you if
we need more information. Make your request as early
as possible. Last minute requests will be accepted,
but may not be possible to fill. Send an e-mail to
fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental
Affairs Bureau: For reasonable accommodations:
202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). For
accessible format materials (Braille, large print,
electronic files, and audio format): 202-418-0531
(voice), 202-418-7365 (TTY).
More Information
For more information about the E9-1-1 Disability
Access Summit, please contact Cheryl King at
202-418-2284 (voice) or Cheryl.King@fcc.gov (E-mail).

To request this document, or other materials in
accessible formats for people with disabilities
(Braille, large print, electronic files, audio
format), send an E-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0531
(voice), 202-418-7365 (TTY).
-FCC-