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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release:  News  Media  Contact:  November  13,  2006  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 E-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov 
 FCC  RELEASES  AGENDA  FOR  NOVEMBER  15  E9-  1-  1  DISABILITY  ACCESS  SUMMIT 


 The  FCC  has  released  the  agenda  for  the  November  15,  2006,  Summit  that  will  focus  on  E9-  1-  1  calling  and  access  for  persons  with  hearing  and  speech  disabilities.  The  Summit  will  run 
 from  9:  30  AM  to  2:  30  PM  at  FCC  Headquarters,  445  12  th  St.,  SW,  Washington,  DC.  The  agenda  is  attached. 


 Last  year,  the  Commission  initiated  a  proceeding  seeking  comment  on  how  the  Commission  can  ensure  that  consumers  using  Internet-  based  forms  of  Telecommunications 
 Relay  Services  (TRS),  specifically  Video  Relay  Services  (VRS)  and  Internet  Protocol  Relay  (IP  Relay),  can  access  emergency  services  in  the  same  way  as  all  other  consumers. 


 Internet-  based  TRS  calls  do  not  originate  on  the  Public  Switched  Telephone  Network  and,  therefore,  present  unique  challenges.  Emergency  9-  1-  1  calls  placed  using  VRS  and  IP 
 Relay  systems  do  not  automatically  display  an  address  indicating  the  location  of  the  incoming  call  as  do  more  traditional  phone  calls.  The  E9-  1-  1  Disability  Access  Summit  is  intended  to 
 provide  an  opportunity  to  explore  challenges  and  potential  solutions  for  users  of  Internet-  based  TRS  services  to  access  Public  Safety  Answering  Points  (PSAPs)  by  calling  9-  1-  1. 


 The  goals  of  the  Summit  are:  (1)  To  identify  the  various  types  of  direct  Internet-  based  E9-  1-  1  access  that  people 
 with  hearing  or  speech  disabilities  need;  (2)  To  identify  the  technologies,  services,  and  applications  through  which  access 
 should  be  offered;  and  (3)  To  define  the  technological,  policy,  and  commercial  issues  involved  in 
 providing  the  needed  access  to  persons  with  hearing  and  speech  disabilities. 
 Participants  will  include  representatives  of  other  federal  agencies;  state  and  local  emergency  service  providers;  telecommunications  and  TRS  industry;  hearing  and  speech 
 disability  advocates;  and  FCC  staff.  Lessons  learned  from  this  Summit  will  help  the  FCC  design  and  focus  efforts  to  improve  emergency  communications  access  for  persons  with  hearing  and 
 speech  disabilities.  The  Summit  is  open  to  the  public  and  seating  will  be  available  on  a  first-come,  first-  served  basis.  The  Summit  will  include  panel  discussions  on  the  following  topics: 
 needs  of  the  hearing  and  speech  disability  communities;  state  of  technology  and  possible  solutions. 
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 The  Summit  will  be  webcast  live  and  also  archived  for  later  viewing.  Access  to  and  additional  information  concerning  the  webcast  is  available  at  http://  www.  fcc.  gov/  realaudio/. 
 Open  captioning  will  be  provided  for  the  webcast. 
 Reasonable  Accommodation 
 Open  captioning  and  sign  language  interpreters  will  be  provided  for  this  event.  Other  reasonable  accommodations  for  people  with  disabilities  are  available  upon  request.  Include  a 


 description  of  the  accommodation  you  will  need  including  as  much  detail  as  you  can.  Also  include  a  way  we  can  contact  you  if  we  need  more  information.  Make  your  request  as  early  as 
 possible.  Last  minute  requests  will  be  accepted,  but  may  not  be  possible  to  fill.  Send  an  e-  mail  to  fcc504@  fcc.  gov  or  call  the  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau:  For  reasonable 
 accommodations:  202-  418-  0530  (voice),  202-  418-  0432  (TTY). 
 More  Information 
 For  more  information  about  the  E9-  1-  1  Disability  Access  Summit,  please  contact  Cheryl  King  at  202-  418-  2284  (voice)  or  Cheryl.  King@  fcc.  gov  (E-  mail). 


 To  request  this  document,  or  other  materials  in  accessible  formats  for  people  with  disabilities  (Braille,  large  print,  electronic  files,  audio  format),  send  an  E-  mail  to 
 fcc504@  fcc.  gov  or  call  the  Consumer  &  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  at  202-  418-  0530  (voice),  202-  418-  0432  (TTY). 


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