Conformity Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 10)

NewsBreaks Commission Adopts Regulations for InternetBased TRS Services The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken steps to ensure that consumers with hearing and speech disabilities who use specialized, Internet-based telecommunications services will be able to enjoy communication access that is “functionally equivalent” to voice telephone services. In a Report and Order issued in June, the Commission adopted a system for assigning traditional ten-digit telephone numbers to users of Internet-based telecommunications relay services (TRS), which enable people with speech and hearing disabilities to communicate with hearing users of voice-based telephone services. This action significantly eases the process of reaching TRS subscribers, and ensures that consumers with disabilities who use TRS can be as easily reached by phone as conventional phone subscribers. In addition, the Commission will now require that TRS providers be able to obtain and maintain information regarding the physical location of their subscribers, so that 911 emergency calls can be promptly routed to nearby first responders. These requirements are similar to those already imposed on providers of voice over IP telephone service. Internet-based TRS providers must comply with the Commission’s new requirements by not later than the end of 2008. Our readers can view the complete text of the Commission’s Report and Order at www.conformity.com/2110. handset requirement, and that neither its efforts nor the problems the company encountered justified the prolonged delays in complying with them. As we’ve previously reported (see Conformity, May 2008), the FCC has stepped up its enforcement actions against non-compliant wireless carriers, regardless of their size. Earlier this year, the Commission proposed a $30,000 forfeiture penalty against a Tier III carrier, Epic Touch, for failing to provide subscribers with access to at least two HAC-compliant handsets. Our readers can view the complete text of the Commission’s most recent Notice at www.conformity.com/2111. Another Company Fined for Non-Compliance with HAC Requirements The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a $60,000 forfeiture penalty against a Tier II wireless carrier for failing to offer its customers hearing aid compatible (HAC) handsets by the September 2006 deadline. The company, SunCom Wireless, Inc., which operates GSM systems that serve North and South Carolina, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, was required under the Commission’s 2003 Hearing Aid Compatibility Order to provide subscribers with access to at least two HAC compliant handsets. However, the company was not in full compliance with FCC requirements until June 2007. Although SunCom filed several petitions for temporary waivers from the Commission’s deadline, the Commission determined that the company did not demonstrate “unique or unusual circumstances, or the existence of any factor” that would justify a waiver from the HAC FCC Extends “Do-NotCall” Registry Compliance Requirements The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has amended its regulations to require telemarketers to honor indefinitely consumer registrations to the National “Do-NotCall” Registry. The Registry was announced in June 2003 in an effort to curb the number of unwanted telemarketing calls received by consumers, and presently includes more than 145 million telephone numbers. However, under the original regulations, registered numbers would have expired after five years and could have been dropped from the Registry unless consumers re-registered them. DiLbert: © Scott Adams/Dist. by United feature Syndicate, inc. reprinted with permission. 10 Conformity September 2008 http://www.conformity.com/2110 http://www.conformity.com/2111

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Conformity Magazine - September 2008

Conformity Magazine - September 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Commission Adopts Regulations for Internet-Based TRS Services Another Company Fined for Non-Compliance with HAC Requirements FCC Extends “Do-Not-Call” Registry Compliance Requirements Marketing Company Gets $1.4 Million Fine for Junk Faxes EU Commission Codifies Directive on TTE Market Competition EU Commission Releases Updated Standards List for the R&TTE Directive Updated Standards List for the “New” Low Voltage Directive Released New Standards List Released for the EU’s Machinery Directive The ESD Association: Voluntary Standards in Action ESD Open Forum Medical EMC Standards: Towards the 4th Edition of IEC 60601-1-2 iNARTE Informer Pre-Pulse Voltage in the HBM ESD Model Digital Interfaces and EMC Performance ESD Design Buyer’s Guide Product News Commission Publishes Updated Standards List for the EU’s Personal Protective Equipment Directive FDA Links “Human Factors” to Adverse Events with Medical Devices CPSC Actions in the News IEC Standards Update UL Standards Update Product Reviews Telcordia Standards Update From Our “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department Looking Back: Items from Past Issues of Conformity Advertisers

Conformity Magazine - September 2008

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