NEWS 
Federal Communications Commission
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See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
March 10, 2010 Mark Wigfield
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BROADBAND PLAN “UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY” TO INCREASE ACCESS FOR 
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Washington, D.C – With only 42% of all people with disabilities in the U.S. reaping the benefits 
of high-speed Internet services at home, the nation must take advantage of a unique opportunity 
now to make this critical technology more accessible, said Federal Communications Commission 
Chairman Julius Genachowski today.
The FCC is preparing to release a National Broadband Plan next week, which includes many 
recommendations on how to expand the reach and depth of broadband’s benefits to people with 
disabilities.  With broadband technologies, “we have the opportunity to consider accessibility 
issues relatively early in the deployment process and enable people with disabilities to share fully 
in the benefits of broadband,” Genachowski said in a speech at a conference co-sponsored by 
Silicon Flatirons and the American Association of People with Disabilities and the Information 
Technology and Innovation Foundation at the Washington, D.C. Public Library
“We must make clear that building in accessibility at the design and development stage is cost-
effective, and that all of society benefits from the widespread use of accessibility features such as 
captioning, speech recognition, and speech output,” Genachowski said.  “Now is the time to 
engage in this endeavor in earnest and show that we do indeed believe that this is a big deal, for 
people with disabilities and for all Americans.”
Working recommendations in the Plan include:
· A government-wide Accessibility Initiative and establishment of a Broadband 
Accessibility Working Group 
· An ongoing Accessibility and Innovation Forum at the FCC for stakeholders to share best 
practices and collaborate on accessibility solutions
· Action by the FCC, DOJ, and Congress to update accessibility laws and policies and 
make sure they are enforced.
· Authorization by Congress for limited use of Universal Service Fund for assistive 
technology users and developers
· Use of TRS funds for broadband services and assistive technology subsidies and for 
funding additional IP-based services
-FCC-
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a National Broadband Plan to 
Congress that addresses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability, and the use of broadband to advance 
solutions to national priorities.  More information about development of the National Broadband Plan can be found 
at www.broadband.gov