As information and communications technology (ICT) rapidly develops and advances, access to advanced communications services (ACS) is increasingly important for those with disabilities. TIA and our member companies are long-standing supporters of inclusion for all populations in access to ACS, and we specifically support Congress's goal to increase access to and ease of use of ICT products and services by persons with disabilities. Our member companies are committed to ensuring that communications equipment and customer premises equipment (CPE) are designed, developed and fabricated to be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, and compliant with relevant laws including the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and - most recently - the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010.
TIA regularly represents ICT industry consensus accessibility-related positions to Congress, the Federal agencies (such as the Federal Communications Commission [FCC], the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board [also known as the Access Board], the Department of Justice, and others), civil society, and other stakeholders. We also serve our member companies by providing a forum for addressing existing and emerging accessibility-related issues and events for member companies, as well as a conduit for constructive dialogues with the disability community. We serve this role via our own activities, as well as through participation in government-housed efforts, such as the FCC's Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC), which TIA co-chairs.
In addition, as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standard development organization, TIA also develops standards used to increase accessibility. As a result of the highly competitive nature of communications equipment and CPE markets, TIA's members today manufacture an increasingly broad array of sophisticated communications devices with enhanced capabilities, which have in turn made the devices more accessible to all individuals.
We recommend that you contact us if you would like to speak with us about, or need any further information on, TIA's accessibility-related policies or efforts.
For a list of recent Accessibility filings, please click here.
We hope that China will use this break in the negotiations to reexamine its approach to the negotiations to expand the ITA and focus on reducing its overly large list of sensitive products. If China is ready to move forward to conclude the expansion of the ITA this year then the ITA Expansion is achievable this year.
As part of a large U.S. industry delegation representing a broad array of ICT manufacturers, TIA is in Geneva, Switzerland this week to cheer on the trade negotiators who are working hard to conclude the negotiations to expand the product coverage of the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The ITA remains one of the most commercially important WTO trade agreements – by eliminating tariffs on a broad range of ICT products, the ITA lowers the cost and improves access to these products, which are vital to the economic competitiveness of all economies around the world.
The Telecommunications Industry Association was in Geneva last week along with AdvaMed, the Consumer Electronics Association, the Entertainment Software Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Liquid Crystal Polymer Coalition, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Semiconductor Industry Association. This coalition of high-tech companies represents a broad spectrum of manufacturers and service providers in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
Last week was a busy one at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The signs are very encouraging that the member countries of the WTO are back on track to move the WTO’s trade liberalization agenda forward – from the new International Services Agreement (ISA) to the ongoing negotiations to expand the existing WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA).
