EMERGENCY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Charter A. The Committee’s Official Designation The official designation of this advisory committee of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) is the “Emergency Access Advisory Committee” (EAAC or Committee) as prescribed by the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (Communication and Video Accessibility Act or CVAA).1 B. The Committee’s Objective and Scope of its Activities The EAAC is hereby chartered for the purpose of implementing sections of the CVAA that pertain to making next generation emergency 911 services accessible by individuals with disabilities, as a part of the migration to a national Internet protocol-enabled emergency network (NG911).2 C. Period of Time Necessary for the Committee to Carry Out its Purpose The EAAC will be chartered for a term of two years. D. Official to Whom the Committee Reports Chairman, Federal Communications Commission. E. Agency Responsible for Providing the Necessary Support The Commission will provide the facilities and support staff necessary to conduct meetings of the EAAC. Committee members will not be compensated for their services. The Commission will, however, pay costs associated with the provision of reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities when such costs are directly associated with the conduct of the Committee’s meetings, or are directly associated with the conduct of any subcommittee meetings. Some examples of reasonable accommodations include sign language interpreters, meeting agendas produced in Braille, and computer assisted real- time transcription services (CART). F. Description of the Duties for Which the Committee is Responsible The statutory mandate is for the EAAC to conduct a national survey, with the input of groups represented by the Committee’s membership, after which the Committee shall develop and submit to the Commission recommendations to implement such technologies 1 Pub. L. No. 111-260. 2 Pub. L. No. 111-260, § 106 generally lays out the directives for the EAAC. 2 and methods. These recommendations shall include the following, taking into account what is technically and economically feasible:3 (1) actions needed for the migration to a national Internet protocol (IP)- enabled network to achieve reliable, interoperable communication that will ensure access to emergency services by people with disabilities; (2) protocols, technical capabilities, and technical requirements to ensure the reliability and interoperability necessary to ensure access to emergency services by people with disabilities; (3) technical standards for use by public safety answering points, designated default answering points, and local emergency authorities; (4) technical standards and requirements for communication devices, equipment and technologies to enable the use of reliable emergency access; (5) procedures to ensure that IP-enabled network providers do not install features, functions, or capabilities that would conflict with technical standards needed to achieve 9-1-1 emergency access by people with disabilities; (6) deadlines by which interconnected and non-interconnected Voice over IP (VoIP) service providers and manufacturers shall achieve the actions required in the above paragraphs, where achievable, and for the possible phase out of current-generation TTY technology to the extent that this technology is replaced with more effective and efficient technologies and methods to enable access to emergency services by people with disabilities; and (7) rules to update the Commission's telecommunications relay services regulations with respect to 9-1-1 services, as new technologies and methods for providing such relay services are adopted by providers of such relay services. G. Meetings Meetings shall be open to the public and duly noticed as prescribed in the Act, and shall be further publicized through other appropriate vehicles. Records of the proceedings will be kept, as required by applicable laws and regulations. Meetings of the entire EAAC may also be broadcast over the Internet. H. Estimated Number and Frequency of Committee Meetings 3 Pub. L. No. 111-260, § 106(c). 3 The Committee shall meet a minimum of 12 times per year, as prescribed by the CVAA.4 The Committee may facilitate its work through informal subcommittees, which shall report their activities and recommendations to the Committee as a whole. It is anticipated that the work of subcommittees will be conducted primarily through telephone calls and teleconferences, e-mail correspondence, and e-mail discussion lists. Recommendations of subcommittees must be reported to the EAAC as a whole, and only as modified or ratified by the Committee as a whole, may such recommendations be included in the official record of the Committee’s proceedings, and reported to the Chairman of the Commission. I. Committee’s Termination Date The Committee shall terminate two (2) years from date of this charter, unless renewed prior to the termination date. J. Membership Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Commission in consultation with the FCC Co-Chairpersons of the EAAC and appropriate Commission staff. Members will be appointed either as Representatives or as Special Government Employees (SGEs) as necessary. Members will be appointed based on their recognized expertise in their fields, or to represent the interests of consumers, minorities and low income communities; disabilities communities; state, local, and Native American tribal governments, and the telecommunications and media industries. Together, these members will be selected to represent a balance of expertise and viewpoints that are necessary to address effectively the issues to be considered by the EAAC. Members should be prepared to attend the monthly meetings, and are also expected to participate regularly in the deliberations of subcommittees. Members will have an initial and continuing obligation to disclose any interests in, or connections to, persons or entities who are, or will be, regulated by, or who have interests before the Commission. Committee members may have alternates. Some alternates may be assigned to subcommittees, but may not be considered voting members of the full EAAC Committee when the principal is present and voting. If an individual member represents more than one organization or company, each individual member will still only have one vote. K. Co-Chairpersons FCC Co-Chairs. The FCC Chairman shall appoint one or more members of the Commission’s staff to moderate and direct the work of the EAAC. The Commission shall appoint a member of the Commission’s technical staff to provide technical assistance to the Advisory Committee. 4 Meetings shall be held no less than monthly until recommendations are completed and submitted. See Pub. L. No. 111-260 § 106 (d)(2). 4 EAAC Co-Chairs. The EAAC Co-Chairs shall be two persons who are not FCC employees and have shown leadership in their respective fields. The Chairpersons or Co- Chairpersons of any subcommittees that are formed shall be appointed by the FCC Co- Chairs in coordination with the EAAC Co-Chairs. L. Date of Charter January 14, 2011