September, 2006 Technology and Disability Policy Highlights

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• Microsoft Word version of September, 2006 TDPH
  
• Adobe PDF version of September, 2006 TDPH
  

Contents:

• Overview
• Legislative / Policy Activities
• Regulatory Activities
• Reports / Studies / Publications
• Other Activities and Items of Interest
• RERC Updates
• Upcoming Events

Overview

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Advanced Wireless Spectrum (AWS) auction was one of the major focuses of Commission activity during this past month. The agency concluded its biggest auction yet with the highest bids going to mobile telephone companies, T-Mobile and Verizon. Another major announcement by the FCC was the development of a Bureau of Public Safety and Homeland Security, which will be responsible for emergency-related telecommunications issues. This is important to all individuals including those with disabilities who may rely on the telecommunication infrastructure for information on what to do in an emergency situation.

The Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities released a new publication this month entitled “Disability and the Digital Divide: Comparing Surveys with Disability Data”. The report analyzed the existing data on the state of technology access for individuals with disabilities in the US and compared current survey methods that are used to account for people with disabilities.

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Legislative / Policy Activities

Digital Television Subsidy Program Comments

September 26, 2006 – Congress set February 17, 2009 as the official date by which television broadcasts must switch from analog to digital transmission. To aid customers in this transition they also established a subsidy program for purchasing digital-to-analog converter boxes, which is being supervised by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The details of this program are outlined in the “Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005” [Public Law 109-171] which directs the NTIA to administer the following programs related to the transition: Digital to Analog Converter Box Assistance, Public Safety Interoperable Communications and Low Power Television and Translator Digital-to-Analog Conversion.

The NTIA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to receive public comments on the guidelines for the digital converter set-top box subsidy program pursuant to the proposed act. In a joint comment filed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the NTIA was encouraged to subsidize all analog only television sets and not just households where all televisions were analog. They also suggested that issuance of the coupon should not be economic needs-based but rather an issue of service continuity. The NTIA expects to adopt its final guidelines on the $1.5 billion program by early next year.

• More information on the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005
• Full press release, NPRM and submitted comments related to the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005

[Source: Business Wire, 9/25/2006, Broadcasting & Cable, 9/26/2006 and NTIA]

IRS Announces Standard Amounts for Phone Tax Refunds

August 31, 2006 – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced standard amounts which most long distance customers could use to calculate their telephone tax refund. The IRS issued these standard amounts, which range from $30 to $60, as an effort to simplify the process for millions of individual taxpayers requesting a refund who would otherwise have to search through old telephone bills. Standard amounts refunded will be based on the number of exemptions claimed by a customer. The standard amounts were calculated based on telephone usage data and the amounts paid in the long distance phone tax by similarly sized households. The refund will be applied to the 2006 federal income tax return of anyone who paid the phone tax in the past, including businesses and nonprofit organizations. However, businesses and nonprofits must base their tax refunds on the actual amount paid and cannot use the standard numbers.

• IRS Press release and notice (Notice 2006-50) issued regarding the telephone tax
  

[Source: IRS and US Fed News, 8/31/2006]

New Legislation Addresses Privacy of Telephone Records

Pretexting is becoming a major underground industry with dozens of websites offering data to anyone willing to pay the fee. Currently, some carriers are changing the way they conduct business to thwart the methods of pretexters or “data brokers”. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection (TRAPP) Act [HR 4709], which would make it a federal offense to obtain customer information from a telephone service provider by false pretenses. The recent news stories involving major corporations and the use of pretexting methods has pushed this issue back on the legislative agenda. The new legislation was introduced back in February, was passed by the House and now awaits approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• Full text of the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection (TRAPP) Act

[Source: Library of Congress and GovTrack]

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Regulatory Activities

FCC Establishes Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau

September 25, 2006 – In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the related telecommunication problems, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established a new bureau of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The bureau will be responsible for addressing a number of emergency response communication matters pursuant to natural disasters or infrastructure attacks. It will combine public-safety functions that were previously dispersed across multiple government agencies. This will be beneficial for people with disabilities who rely heavily on communication devices functioning properly especially in times of emergency. The Public Safety Bureau has three divisions:

• Policy - designs and administers regulations and policies
• Public Communications Outreach & Operation (PCOOD) – coordinates the commission’s emergency response procedures and operations
• Communication Systems Analysis (CSA) – performs analyses and studies regarding public safety, homeland security and related matters

• FCC’s order for development of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
• FCC's press release on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau

[Source: FCC and TelecomWeb,9/20/2006]

FCC Wireless Auction Concludes

September 18, 2006 – The FCC recently ended its first auction of Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum licenses, which can be used to provide an assortment of wireless services over Third Generation (3G) mobile networks. The auction of reclaimed government spectrum raised $13 billion; it needed to raise at least $2.06 billion to cover the cost of relocating the government agencies. The top bidders were T-mobile USA, Inc. and Verizon Wireless. Telecom specialists speculate that the results of the auction will be positive for consumers because it will allow for increased efficiency and the quality of mobile and wireless networks.

• FCC release on the wireless spectrum auction results

[Source: FCC and The Washington Post, 9/19/2006]

Pretexting May Lead to Tougher Phone Security Rules by FCC

September 11, 2006 – The recent news involving the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), where company executives admitted to hiring private investigators who used possibly illegal means to gain access to board members’ phone records, has piqued the interest of many policymakers. The HP investigators are alleged to have used the method of pretexting which involves impersonating a customer to get information. This is explicitly illegal when it involves financial information, but the law is not very clear when phone or other telecommunication records are involved. Telecommunications pretexting became an important policy agenda item earlier this year and led to the introduction of many bills into Congress and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Also the FCC vowed to develop stricter rules regarding consumer privacy rights. However, there has not been much activity regarding the issue until recently due to the HP admission.

[Source: RCR Wireless News, 9/18/2006, The New York Times, 9/11/2006 and LoC]

Senate Confirms Martin Nomination to the FCC for Second Term

September 19, 2006 – The US Senate Commerce Committee approved current FCC Chairman, Kevin Martin, to another five year term with the agency. Martin became head of the FCC in March 2005 after serving as a commissioner with the agency since 2001. For the upcoming term, the commission faces some major issues such as approval of the AT&T Incorporated purchase of BellSouth Corporation. Martin’s nomination now awaits a vote from the full Senate.

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Reports / Studies / Publications

Bluetooth technology gaining critical mass
Bluetooth wireless technology, a wireless way of sending data, is quickly becoming the number one choice by consumers for connectivity of a broad range of personal electronic devices. The technology provides relatively low-cost wireless connectivity for a number of devices such as mobile phones, keyboards and speakers. Many telecommunications officials believe that the reach of Bluetooth technology will only continue to spread. According to Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG),

“As we move forward and continue to evolve in this space, we will leverage the technology's strengths such as small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities and continue to ensure interoperability among the broad range of input devices”
(PR Newswire).

The recent success of this technology, which has been around since 1998, have been attributed to major improvements including an increase broadcast range from 10 to 100 meters and a data speed which has tripled over the years. As customers demand more wireless solutions to electronic devices, Bluetooth seems to be providing the solution. However, there are still some issues with the technology such as lack of interoperability between some Bluetooth enabled devices. This problem can be frustrating for the average user and may provide larger problems for some individuals with disabilities who use this technology. More research is needed on the impact of this technology for those with disabilities and whether these devices are universally designed.

[Source: The International Herald Tribune, 9/4/2006 and PR Newswire, 9/7/2006]

Disability and the Digital Divide: Comparing Surveys with Disability Data

The Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities ( RTC Rural) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) released a report which analyzed the results of a number of surveys on telecommunications and technology usage by individuals with disabilities. The report stated that despite increases in Internet access people with disabilities still have not caught up in terms of Internet access and face a major digital divide. The article stated that a past publication (A Nation Online) by the NTIA in 2002 declared the digital divide closed yet less than 30% of those with disabilities over age 15 use the Internet. The publication discusses existing surveys of disability and computer usage within the United States and analyzes how the data may be impacting how the digital divide is viewed for these communities. “While the more than 70% of people with disabilities who are still on the wrong side of the digital divide strive to catch up with the “nation online”, it is essential that this gateway technology not inadvertently be used to further exclude them.”

• Full Report: Disability and the Digital Divide: Comparing Surveys with Disability Data

[Source: RTC Rural]

NTIA Submits Spectrum Relocation Report to Congress

The NTIA recently transmitted to Congress a report on possible policy options for compensating Federal agencies for relocation costs they acquire as a result of spectrum moving by the FCC. The report entitled “Spectrum Relocation Report: Compensation Options for Relocation Costs of Federal Entities” is required by the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (CSEA), legislation designed to provide a means for Federal entities to receive compensation when they are asked to move from a federal designated spectrum to open it up for non-federal use. The document details options for developing policies that will be of minimal or no cost to the federal agency. These options involve reallocating spectrum in a way that the space can be shared by two entities. The report suggests that reallocation can be structured such that Federal and non-Federal users share bandwidth and reduce the need for reallocation reimbursements. One example of this is public safety services sharing with Federal agencies for interoperability purposes. The FCC currently restricts unlicensed devices from operating in federal spectrum ranges because they may cause interference but they are currently researching new sharing methods that reduce interference.

• NTIA's Spectrum Relocation Report

[Source: NTIA]

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Other Activities and Items of Interest

IBM Offers Deaf Mobile Alerts

September 14, 2006 - IBM’s software research labs in the United Kingdom announced that they have developed a system to allow location-specific alerts to be sent to cell phones of hearing-impaired people. Location Aware Messaging for Accessibility (LAMA), as it is called, can send alerts in various formats including images or vibrations. The way the system will work is that if a user with a hearing impairment enters an area that is LAMA-enabled their phone will recognize the system and provide a list of messaging options. Users can choose to be alerted to public announcements which will be delivered in the preferred format. LAMA uses Bluetooth technology and GPRS (general packet radio service) technologies, and can be adapted to work with Wi-Fi and GSM (global system for mobile communications) networks. This system would be useful especially in situations where the emergency alert is presented in an auditory form.

[Source: Red Herring, 9/14/2006]

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RERC Updates

Baseline survey on hearing aid compatibility (HAC)

The Wireless RERC in cooperation with the Hearing Loss Association of America is conducting survey of individuals who use hearing aids about their experience with using cell phones and hearing aids. The initial survey found that 62% of respondents had a difficult or very difficult time finding a cellular phone with hearing aid compatibility (HAC). Half of the respondents stated that they used an assistive technology device in order to have there phones work better. Despite the current difficulty in finding HAC mobile phones, WirelessRERC researchers believe the satisfaction rate will improve and HAC phones will become easier to find as HAC regulations take effect.

Mobility RERC holds State of the Science Conference

During this month, the Mobility RERC held a one day State of the Science Conference on measuring the health, activity and participation of wheelchair users. The theme of the conference was “Paving the Future of Seating and Mobility Research.” The format of the session was centered around building consensus on the methodological challenges with measuring the health, activity and participation of wheelchair users.

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Upcoming Events

California State University, Northridge Center on Disabilities' 22nd Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference
The CSUN conference on International Technology and Persons with Disabilities will be held in Los Angeles, California from March 19-24, 2007. The focus of the conference is to bring together professionals and stakeholders to discuss all technologies and issues that are related to education, employment and independent living of individual’s with disabilities. The conference is being sponsored by the Center on Disabilities at Cal State University, Northridge. The center issued a Call for Papers for the conference with a deadline of September 29, 2006.

StatsRRTC’s “Second Annual Disability Status Reports”
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics (StatsRRTC) will be holding its Second Annual Disability Status Reports event. The Status Reports will provide new statistics related to disability and employment, education and more. The event will be held on October 4, 2006 from 9:30-11AM at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

State-of-the-Science Conference: The Future of Disability Statistics
This conference will present statistics on the characteristics and status of working-age people with disabilities from recent surveys. It will be held in Arlington, Virginia from October 5-6, 2006.

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