PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: https://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 18-98 Released: February 1, 2018 DISABILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DATE, TIME AND AGENDA OF NEXT MEETING AND DESIGNATION OF NEW DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICER By this Public Notice, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) announces the next meeting date, time and agenda of its Disability Advisory Committee (“DAC” or “Committee”) and the designation of Will Schell as the new DAC Designated Federal Officer. MEETING DATE, TIME AND AGENDA The next meeting of the Committee will take place on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, at the FCC’s headquarters, Room TW-C305 (Commission Meeting Room), 445 12 th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20554. The meeting will be open to the public and webcast with open captioning at www.fcc.gov/live. Notice of this meeting will be published in the Federal Register. PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMITTEE The Committee was established in December 2014 to make recommendations to the Commission on a wide array of disability matters within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in proceedings before the Commission. The Committee is organized under, and operated in accordance with, the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). 1 The Committee held its first meeting on March 17, 2015, and its most recent meeting on October 16, 2017. As authorized by FACA, the Committee has established subcommittees, and the Commission has invited additional individuals and organizations who are not members of the full Committee to participate on these subcommittees. Subcommittees have been established to consider the following four issues: ? Emergency Communications; ? Relay/Equipment Distribution; ? Technology Transitions; and ? Video Programming At its February 28, 2018 meeting, the Committee is expected to receive and consider reports and recommendations from its subcommittees, which may include: ? A report and recommendation from its Video Programming Subcommittee regarding best 1 5 U.S.C. App. 2. 2practices for the aural description (for people who are blind or visually impaired) of visual but non-textual emergency information provided by broadcasters; ? A report on the activities of its Technology Transitions Subcommittee; ? A report on the activities of its Relay & Equipment Distribution Subcommittee; and ? A report on the activities of its Emergency Communications Subcommittee. The Committee is also expected to receive presentations from Commission staff or others on matters of interest to the Committee. In addition, a reserved amount of time will be available on the agenda for comments and inquiries from the public. The public may comment or ask questions of presenters via email: livequestions@fcc.gov. These comments or questions may be addressed during the public comment period. ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS The meeting site is fully accessible to people using wheelchairs or other mobility aids. Sign language interpreters, open captioning, and assistive listening devices will be provided on site. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. If making a request for an accommodation, please include a description of the accommodation you will need and tell us how to contact you if we need more information. Make your request as early as possible by sending an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or calling the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). Last minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill. The meeting will be webcast with open captioning at www.fcc.gov/live. NEW DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICER The Commission has named Will Schell, the current alternate Designated Federal Officer (DFO) of the DAC and an attorney advisor with the Commission’s Disability Rights Office, as the new DAC DFO, effective as of the next DAC meeting. Mr. Schell will be replacing E. Elaine Gardner, current DFO, who will be retiring from the Commission. ACCESSIBLE FORMATS To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), please send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Will Schell, DAC DFO, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Disability Rights Office, (202) 418-0767 (voice); email: DAC@fcc.gov.