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 September 25, 26, and 27, 1996.  The meetings will 
begin at 9:30 a.m. and end no later than 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES:  The meetings will be held in the Steptoe & 
Johnson building, 1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC on the concourse level.  The meetings are open to the 
public.  The facility is accessible to individuals with 
disabilities.  Sign language interpreters, assistive 
listening systems and real-time transcription will be 
available. 

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 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.

	The Committee also took the following administrative and 
procedural actions:

-     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 or rbreden@tia.eia.org.

	The Committee will meet again on: November 6-8, December 
16-18, and January 14-15.  Subsequent meetings will be held 
at locations to be announced.

	The Committee will meet on the dates and at the location 
announced in this notice.  There will be a public comment 
period each day for persons interested in presenting their 
views to the Committee.
	



Lawrence W. Roffee,
Executive Director