36 CFR Part 1193 Telecommunications Act (Section 255) Accessibility Guidelines - Preamble

Market Monitoring Report

Comment. The NPRM discussed that the Board intends to compile a market monitoring report on a regular basis and make it available to the public. USTA commented that the Board did not offer what type of information it will specifically monitor, how often, and to what end. UCPA supported a market monitoring report and suggested that the Board specify an annual report. UCPA recommended that the report should be structured for rapid turnaround after the close of the monitoring period and that successful access solutions be highlighted.

Response. The Board intends to compile a market monitoring report after the guidelines are published and make it available to the public. At this point, the Board does not have a schedule for when the first report will begin or when it will be issued, since it must be incorporated into the Board's on-going research and technical assistance program. The report will address the state of the art of customer premises equipment and telecommunications equipment and the progress of making this equipment accessible and identify successful access solutions. Since the Board is required to review and update these guidelines periodically, information from this report will assist the Board in determining what provisions of the guidelines may need to be revised or whether new provisions need to be added. In particular, some issues will be targeted for examination, such as redundancy and selectability, the effect of hearing aid interference on bystanders, and whether persons with hearing impairments continue to report having trouble using public pay telephones. These issues are discussed further in the section-by- section analysis.

In addition, the Board intends to investigate whether the report might be compiled in cooperation with another government entity or private sector organization. For example, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) funds a variety of research projects and centers, including a research center devoted to telecommunications. Also, some private sector organizations have begun highlighting accessible products in reports and trade shows. The Board intends to explore whether it would be appropriate to produce the market monitoring report in conjunction with one of those groups or companies.