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: December 2, 2011 Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511 Email: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov FCC TO CO-HOST TWO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES: THE M-ENABLING SUMMIT, DECEMBER 5-6 and BROADBAND ADOPTION AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES INQUIRY WORKSHOP, DECEMBER 7 International M-Enabling Summit and Showcase - December 5-6, 2011 Washington, DC -- On December 5 and 6, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communications Technology (G3itc) will be co-hosting the International M-Enabling Summit and Showcase. This event is designed to explore ways to promote and implement accessible mobile communications and services for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, International Telecommunication Union’s Secretary General Hamadoun Touré, Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, Inaugural Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, will be among the speakers at the Summit. Approximately 60 additional speakers, including public and private sector leaders, mobile accessibility experts and disability stakeholders, will address topics on wireless technology and accessibility. More than 350 people have registered for the conference, from 30 countries. On December 5, 2011, the Summit will take place in the morning at the FCC headquarters in the Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC, 20554. (Closest Metro stop: Smithsonian.) Two Global Policy Briefings will be presented focusing on “The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act,” and “Policies and Programs to Promote Accessible and Assistive Mobile Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities,” followed by remarks by Chairman Genachowski. Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday, the Summit will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD, 20745. Additional panels featuring key global stakeholders will address developing, marketing and creating policies on the use and deployment of mobile assistive and mainstream technologies, applications and services, as well as how mobile communications can achieve emergency preparedness. To learn more about or register for the M-Enabling Summit Conference and Showcase, please visit: http://www.m-enabling.com/index.html. There is no charge to attend the sessions that will be held at the FCC’s Headquarters on Monday morning, December 5, 2011. Sign language interpreters and computer aided real-time transcription will be available. If you are interested in attending the remainder of the M-Enabling Summit at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, there is a registration fee. Please visit www.m- enabling.com for registration information for that portion of the summit. Broadband Adoption and Persons with Disabilities Inquiry Workshop: - December 7, 2011 On Wednesday, December 7 the FCC, the Wireless Internet Institute (W2i) and Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communications Technology (G3itc) will co-host an international event entitled the Broadband Adoption and Persons with Disabilities Inquiry Workshop. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be held at the FCC’s Headquarters. The December 7 workshop will include stakeholders and policymakers from the broadband industry and the disability community. The discussion will focus on ways to measure broadband deployment and adoption by persons with disabilities across the globe; social, economic and cultural barriers to broadband deployment and adoption; and outreach and marketing of broadband to people with disabilities. Attendees will be given the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the sessions. This event will be webcast at: www.fcc.gov/live and will be archived. During the workshop, we will be accepting e-mail questions and comments at broadbanddisability@fcc.gov. To learn more about this event, please visit: http://g3ict.org/events/schedule/event_overview/p/eventId_262/id_611. Registration will be managed by W2i and G3itc. To register for this workshop please E-mail or call Christine Forget- Leblois at cmleblois@W2i.com or (404) 918-9011. There is no charge to attend the December 7, 2011 workshop. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need, and tell us how to contact you if we need more information. Please make your request as early as possible. Last minute requests will be accepted but may be impossible to fill. Accommodation requests should be sent to Kelly Jones, Kelly.Jones@fcc.gov or 202-418-7078 (voice), 202-418-1169 (TTY), or (845) 474-0054 video. -FCC-