[Billing Code 8150-01-P]	

ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD
Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee; Meeting

AGENCY:  Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board.

ACTION:  Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY:  The Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board (Access Board) gives notice of the dates 
and location of the meetings of the Telecommunications 
Access Advisory Committee.

DATES:  The Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee 
will meet on November 6, 7, and 8, 1996 beginning at 9:30 
a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES:  The meetings will be held at the American 
Speech-Language and Hearing Association offices, 10801 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  For further information 
regarding the meetings, please contact  Dennis Cannon, 
Office of Technical and Information Services, Architectural 
and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, 1331 F Street, 
NW., suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20004-1111.  Telephone 
number (202) 272-5434 extension 35 (voice); (202) 272-5449 
(TTY). Electronic mail address: cannon@access-board.gov.  
This document is available in alternate formats (cassette 
tape, braille, large print, or computer disk) upon request.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 24, 1996, the Access Board 
published a notice appointing members to its 
Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee (Committee).  
61 FR 26155 (May 24, 1996).  The Committee will make 
recommendations to the Access Board on accessibility 
guidelines for telecommunications equipment and customer 
premises equipment. These recommendations will be used by 
the Access Board to develop accessibility guidelines in 
conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 
under section 255 (e) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. 
 The Committee is composed of representatives of 
manufacturers of  telecommunications equipment and customer 
premises equipment; organizations representing the access 
needs of individuals with disabilities; telecommunications 
providers and carriers; and other persons affected by the 
guidelines.

At its first meeting on June 12-14, 1996, the Committee took 
the following actions:

The statutory definitions of telecommunications, 
telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment 
are to be construed broadly.

Providing access is not a change in form of information 
within the meaning of the statute's definition of 
telecommunications and, therefore, not excluded.

A listserv was created through the Trace Center: taac-
l@trace.wisc.edu.  To subscribe, send e-mail to 
listproc@trace.wisc.edu with the message subscribe taac-l 
<firstname lastname>.

At its second meeting on August 14-16, 1996, the Committee 
agreed on the following points:

In customer premises equipment (CPE), it is not always 
possible to separate the effects of software from hardware 
and one manufacturer may choose to perform the same function 
with one or the other.  Therefore, the guidelines must cover 
both.

It is not always possible to determine whether a particular 
function resides with the CPE, the telecommunications 
carrier, or the source material.  Therefore, the guidelines 
will be developed with the assumption that the function 
resides in the CPE and urge the FCC to apply the same 
guidelines to entities and services under its jurisdiction.

The Committee also agreed that the existing definitions of 
CPE and telecommunications equipment are sufficient.

While the definition of readily achievable in the 
Telecommunications Act is the same as in the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA), the term is applied differently.  In 
the ADA, the term applies to barrier removal in existing 
facilities whereas the Telecommunications Act applies the 
term to the manufacture of new equipment.  An ad hoc task 
group was formed to develop criteria to assess readily 
achievable in this new context.

Subcommittees on Compliance Assessment and Guidelines 
content were created.  Discussions will be conducted 
primarily by e-mail.  To participate in a subcommittee, send 
e-mail to cannon@access-board.gov.

At its third meeting on September 25-27, 1996, the Committee 
took the following actions:

Accepted the application of Microsoft to join the Committee.

The subcommittee on Compliance Assessment reviewed and 
revised a draft list of criteria for an effective conformity 
assessment model, then developed consensus around fifteen of 
these criteria, with another five criteria needing further 
clarification or discussion.  The subcommittee divided into 
two work groups: Consumer Information/Verification and 
Coordination Point/Practitioners Qualifications.

The subcommittee on Guidelines Content divided into two work 
groups: Process Guidelines, and Performance and Design 
Guidelines. Each work group developed a set of principles 
and criteria for further discussion.  Draft products are 
posted on a Trace-sponsored Web site.  Discussion will be by 
e-mail (via the main TAAC-L listserv) and by teleconference 
call.  The URL for the Web site is 
http://trace.wisc.edu/taac/workdoc.htm.

The Committee will meet on the dates and at the location 
announced in this notice.  The meetings are open to the 
public.  There will be a public comment period each day for 
persons interested in presenting their views to the 
Committee.  Persons attending the meetings are strongly 
encouraged to use public transportation since parking is 
extremely limited.  The American Speech-Language and Hearing 
Association offices are located north of the Grosvenor Metro 
subway station.  Persons who must drive should call Dennis 
Cannon at the Access Board.  The facility is accessible to 
individuals with disabilities.  Sign language interpreters, 
assistive listening systems and real time transcription will 
be available.

The Committee will meet again on December 16-18, 1996 and 
January 14-15, 1997.  Subsequent meetings will be held at 
locations to be announced.


Lawrence W. Roffee,
Executive Director