FW: press Release - Able Channel . . .

FYI:

TELECOM IMPACT FORUM: THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996: RELIEF OR
CONTROVERSY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES?  

LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST ON THE ABLE CHANNEL AT: WWW.TVONTHEWEB.COM , Friday, July
16th, 11:00am-1:00pm ET

July 14, 1999 - Reston, VA: The ABLE Channel on the TV onthe WEB Network,
the first interactive, community-based television network on the Web and a
strategic partner of Ampex Corp. (Amex: AXC), continues its "Enabling
Persons with Disabilities" Series by focusing a LIVE webcast Forum on the
FCC Telecommunications Act of 1996, asking the question: What does it mean
for people with disabilities?  The webcast and interactive chat will take
place on Friday, July 13th at 11:00am-1:00pm ET.

While two provisions of the act focus entirely on access by persons with
disabilities: sections 255 and 713, the webcast forum will discuss the
adequacies and controversies of the following final rule on section 255,
Access by Persons with Disabilities.  Section 255 requires all
manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and providers of
telecommunications services to ensure that such equipment and services are
designed and developed to be accessible to and usable by individuals with
disabilities, if readily achievable. 

Guest Panelists include:
- David Capozzi   -- Director of Technical and Information Services for the
U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access
Board).

- Jeffrey D. Pledger, President, Able Channel
Mr. Pledger currently works as a Sr. System Specialist for Bell Atlantic
Federal Integrated Solutions, Inc.  Mr. Pledger served as the Bell Atlantic
representative to the Access Board's Telecommunications Access Advisory
Committee. Mr. Pledger has been a speaker/presenter on issues concerning
disabilities and their implications within the telecommunication industry.
Mr. Pledger is blind.

- A representative from the FCC - to be announced after the final ruling
has been made public.

Viewers on the web will be able to speak and comment to the Panelists via
the telephone, email or live chat lines.
 
The ABLE Channel... overcoming disabilities with the power of the human
spirit and the tools of science and technology.  The Able Channel at
www.tvontheweb.com brings the activities, information and assistive
technologies of the differently-abled community to millions of people
worldwide.

About TV onthe WEB
TV onthe WEB is a pioneer in new applications for on-demand archiving and
live webcasting that have evolved into the TV onthe WEB Network of Channels
at www.tvontheweb.com.  The network specializes in narrowcasting to
specific business-to-business and special interest groups through
revenue-generating TV channels underwritten by organizations well known in
those niche communities. This unique approach has successfully generated
revenue streams from live event, advertising, e-commerce, pay-per-view, and
subscription sources, in addition to the income generated from the firm's
webcasting services. 


Contact: 
Jeffrey Pledger, ABLE Channel: (301) 890-5944 able@tvontheweb.com 
Howard O'Brian, ABLE Channel: (800) 739-4424
Lisa Amore, VP of PR & Marketing, TV onthe WEB, 703-264-7900
lamore@tvontheweb.com 

# # #

Received on Thursday, 15 July 1999 15:11:48 UTC