The FCC provides information on its web site in a variety of file formats that best match the transmittal and display requirements of the information, while taking into account the level of resources typically available to its visitors. Most of these file formats are easily read and displayed by standard web browsers or word processing programs, but some files whose formats have been specifically developed for transmitting and displaying special content, such as multimedia or very precisely defined documents, may require the use of additional software to be presented correctly. Visitors to the site can download and install free add-on programs called "plug-ins", readers or players that will enable their browsers to display or play the content of these files. The special file format that are currently used on the FCC web site is Acrobat. Information on these formats, and links for downloading the required Plug-ins, Players and Readers are provided below.
Acrobat Reader for Portable Document Format (PDF) Files
Documents saved as PDF files retain all of the formatting of the original document including fonts, footnotes, headers, footers, and graphics. These documents can be viewed, navigated, searched, and printed from most Windows, DOS, UNIX, or MAC platforms that have Acrobat Reader software (free from Adobe Systems, Inc.) installed and configured for use with the browser.
If the Acrobat Reader does not appear when you click on a link for a PDF file, you can download the Acrobat Reader Software from the Adobe Acrobat web site. Once you've downloaded and installed the reader following the on-screen instructions, you may need to configure it as a browser plug-in or helper application so that you can view any PDF file on the Internet automatically by clicking on its hotlink (just as you would any other web page link). After this one-time setup, you can automatically view any PDF document.
The FCC generates most of its PDF files directly from their original electronic formats so that the resulting PDF files are accessible to visitors who use assistive devices with the latest version of the free Acrobat Reader. Adobe has produced the following step-by-step guide designed to assist people with disabilities such as blindness or low vision to work more effectively with PDF files: Reading PDF Documents with Adobe Reader 6.0, A Guide for People with Disabilities [ Text | Acrobat ]
PDF files created from scanned originals are processed using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) techniques, when possible, to convert the scanned words to editable, accessible text. Alternative formats are available for scanned PDF files that have not been converted to text. Adobe Systems, Inc offers access.adobe.com, a resource designed to help people with visual disabilities work more effectively with Adobe Acrobat software and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files.