The FCC has submitted its Biennial Report to Congress, as required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). The Report assesses industry compliance over the past two years with sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Such sections require telecommunications and advanced communications services and equipment, and Internet browsers built into mobile phones to be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
The Commission has concluded that over the last two years there has been progress in access to advanced communications services and equipment, telecommunications services and equipment, and internet browsers built into mobile phones. However, consumers have noted that certain products and services were not accessible during this time. Specifically, consumers emphasize concerns regarding access to emergency services for individuals who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities, as well as current limitations surrounding the use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology by individuals with speech disabilities.
