The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken steps to broaden access to modern communications technologies for the estimated 54 million people with disabilities.
In a Report and Order issued in October, 2011, the Commission implemented key provisions of the “Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010” (CVAA), enacted into law in October 2010. Hailed by the Commission as “the most significant accessibility legislation since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990,” the CVAA requires that providers of advanced communications services (ACS) and manufacturers of equipment used for ACS make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities, “unless it is not achievable to do so.” The Act also requires the Commission to establish new recordkeeping and enforcement procedures for ACS manufacturers and providers.
The Commission’s Report and Order provides specific details on how the Commission intends to implement the provisions of the CVAA, from defining the types of products covered under the regulations to the manufacturers and service providers subject to them. Read the complete text of the Commission’s CVAA Report and Order.
