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Hatfield, Dale
“Today we rely upon telecommunications for routine daily activities such as making doctor's appointments, calling home when we are late for dinner, participating in conference calls at work, checking our bank balance, and making airline reservations. We also rely heavily upon telecommunications for non-routine activities such as calling for assistance in emergencies, learning about the approach of severe weather, and in deciding what actions authorities are requiring during an emergency event. Many people with disabilities remain unable to access numerous telecommunications product sand services and thereby participate fully in our society. Section 255 within the Telecommunications Act of 1996, along with Section 251 (a) (2) make it a matter of national policy that manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and providers of telecommunications services ensure that such equipment and services are accessible to persons with disabilities.”Dale N. Hatfield, Chief
Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Industry Cooperation on Standards and Conformity Assessment (ICSCA V)
Veldhoven, Netherlands
October 5, 1999
