January 21, 2000
No Lawsuits Filed to Challenge U.S. Phone Access Rules
By REUTERS
ASHINGTON -- New federal rules requiring telecommunications products and services be made accessible to disabled people avoided an expected legal squabble as the deadline for filing a challenge expired this week, regulators said Friday.
Some industry groups were unhappy with the rules, adopted in July by the Federal Communications Commission, that require accessibility features in phone gear and services including voicemail and interactive services.
But Jan. 19 was the last day for challenging the rules in federal court, and FCC officials said Friday that no company had filed. Such a challenge could have forced the FCC to suspend the rules and delayed the introduction of more accessible products.
"I am pleased that the industry is focusing its considerable talents on implementing the rules rather than on challenging them," FCC Chairman William Kennard said in a statement.
Industry officials complained that the rules went beyond the agency's authority by including services like voicemail and all wireless phone sets.
After hearing rumors that an industry-led court challenge was in the works last fall, Kennard publicly asked companies to reconsider.
The rules allowed equipment manufacturers and service providers to determine on their own what accessibility features to include.
Solutions range from putting a small bump on the '5' key of a telephone keypad, allowing a blind person to figure out where each button is located, to including interfaces for text-based calling equipment or voice-activated controls.
The FCC ordered companies to evaluate accessibility features during the earliest phases of the design process and to include access features that can be accomplished easily and without much added cost.
