FCC RELEASES FIRST-EVER PAPER ON ACCESSIBILITY AND TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

On April 23 the FCC released A Giant Leap & A Big Deal: Delivering on the Promise of Equal Access to Broadband for People with Disabilities – a study of the numerous barriers to broadband usage faced by people with disabilities.

The study reports that:

  • Only 42 percent of people with disabilities have high-speed Internet.
  • 39 percent of all non-adopters have a disability.

The paper builds upon the three broad recommendations from the National Broadband Plan
*the creation of a Broadband Accessibility Working Group (“BAWG”) within the Executive Branch;
*the establishment of an Accessibility and Innovation Forum at the FCC
*the modernization of accessibility laws, rules, and related subsidy programs by the FCC, the Department of Justice, and Congress.