“This page is a digitally archived AccessInfo Announcement”
Comments due: June 15, 2017
Reply comments due: July 17, 2017
The FCC seeks comment on what the likely impact will be of eliminating the FCC requirement to provide direct and advance notice to individuals with disabilities about planned copper retirements. “Copper retirement” happens, for example, when a local telephone company replaces existing copper lines with fiber optic lines while still providing the same service to the customer. Are there other ways that would be more effective in notifying individuals with disabilities about the potential impact, if any, on the compatibility of their equipment with the new networks? Do individuals with disabilities rely on FCC-mandated notices from their carriers, under a separate rule from the copper retirement notice requirements, about changes to their networks that might render the customers’ equipment or devices incompatible with the carrier’s network?
The FCC also asks about the extent to which individuals with disabilities still rely on TTYs or other specialized devices or services used over copper networks and the extent to which individuals with disabilities have adopted alternative means of communications, whether using telecommunications relay services, texting, videophones, or other online communications.
Comments may be filed using the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System at https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings. The proceeding number is WC Docket No. 17-84.
Links to the News Release:
Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-344484A1.docx
PDF: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-344484A1.pdf
Text: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-344484A1.txt
Links to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Notice of Inquiry, and Request for Comment (see paragraphs 64 and 70):
Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-17-37A1.docx
PDF: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-17-37A1.pdf
Text: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-17-37A1.txt
Links to the Public Notice announcing the comment dates:
Word: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-473A1.docx
PDF: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-473A1.pdf
Text: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-473A1.txt
For additional information about this proceeding, please contact Michele Berlove, FCC Wireline Competition Bureau, Competition Policy Division, at (202) 418-1477, or e-mail Michele.Berlove@fcc.gov, or contact Michael Ray, FCC Wireline Competition Bureau, Competition Policy Division, at (202) 418-0357, or e-mail Michael.Ray@fcc.gov. For those using videophones and fluent in American Sign Language, you may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at 844-432-2275 (videophone).