NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th 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: October 27, 2009 Mark Wigfield (202) 418-0253 TWO PANELS SLATED FOR NOV. 6 FIELD HEARING ON BROADBAND ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Further Details on Agenda, Location Available On November 6, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission will hold a field hearing at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. on disabilities access issues as part of its effort to gather information from experts and consumers for the development of a National Broadband Plan. Commissioner Michael Copps will host the hearing, and the public is encouraged to attend and participate. The details are as follows: LOCATION: Gallaudet University Jordan Student Academic Center, Multipurpose Room 800 Florida Ave. NE Washington, D.C. 20002 SCHEDULE: Friday, November 6, 2009 9:00 a.m. –1:00 p.m.: Technology Demonstrations 9:30 a.m.: Panel One –Broadband Access for People with Disabilities: Experiences, Opportunities and Barriers 11:00 a.m.: Panel Two – Broadband Access for People with Disabilities: Solutions and Recommendations The November 6 hearing on disability access issues is one of several field hearings and staff workshops that the FCC is conducting to promote dialogue between the FCC and the public on the development of a National Broadband Plan. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a National Broadband Plan to Congress by February 17, 2010 that addresses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability, and the use of broadband to advance solutions to various national priorities. For the full list of Commission workshops, please see: http://www.broadband.gov/workshops.html. In addition, join the discussion about broadband access for people with disabilities at the Disabilities Access section of the FCC’s blog at http://blog.broadband.gov/ . Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Include a description of the accommodation you will need with as much detail as possible. Also include a way we can contact you if we need more information. Please provide as much advance notice as possible; last minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418- 0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). The public may view the hearing and submit questions online at www.FCC.gov/live. Updates about the Federal Communications Commission’s development of the National Broadband can be found at www.broadband.gov. You can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FCC.