Telecom Interim Report 2007-02-08
Telecommunications Subcommittee Interim Report to TEITAC: February 8th, 2007
Contents |
Logistics
TC subcommittee has met regularly on Mondays and tried to foster an open dialogue to get everyone on the same page. Motorola is supplying the bridge and Tom Brett setting up the captioning service. There are usually around 10 people on the call.
Section 508 1194.23
Telecommunications evolving so fast standards don’t exist yet to reflect the direction we are going in. So there is a need for new standards as well as refresh existing standards.
The topics we have focused on so far are: TTYs, acoustic output, tactile control, video and firewalls, VoIP and IP text telephony, cost of implementation, and enforcement
Issues that have Been Identified
FCC/OSHA standards for acoustic output trump 508 for manufacturing because of type certification/safety
Base products not conforming to standard but claim to support when combined with AT e.g. volume control phones
Clarification needed from AB that add-ons only acceptable when not possible to build in accessibility
Standards impacted by interpretation – need for clear standards
Cannot ignore enforcement: Sec 508 because procurement officers either do not consider accessibility or some other criteria trumps the procurement decision e.g. business drivers. Sec 255 because companies are not required to demonstrate what they have done to build in accessibility and why it was not readily achievable
No FCC decision to extend Section 255 to VoIP
Lack of incentives for companies to really go all out to build to 508 standards because we hear that procurement officers do not make access features a sufficient criteria in bid review and selection. (This is anecdotal.)
Video communications impeded by firewalls for security measures
Audio output levels ineffective. Need a way to measure the “floor”
Legacy TTYs. Though we want to migrate to new technologies there are still some people who rely on and use TTYs.
Repeatability issue with tactile controls e.g. capitals on some PDAs
Plan for Putting Pen to Paper
Very early on Diane Golden developed a template to review the standards Two sections: 1) Applied to Standards as a Whole and 2) Applied to Individual Standards
We plan to apply this to the standards we are reviewing to see if changes are needed, items to drop, leave alone or develop a new standard
Need for Expert Help
There are topics we need help with e.g firewalls in the agencies. We will seek experts out and involve them in our calls.
