Reuters: No lawsuits filed to challenge US phone access rules

[Kelly Ford <kford@teleport.com>]

Friday January 21, 4:48 pm Eastern Time
No lawsuits filed to challenge US phone access rules
WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - New federal rules requiring 
telecommunications products and services be made accessible to disabled 
people avoided an expected legal squabble as the deadline for filing a 
challenge expired this week, regulators said on Friday.

Some industry groups were unhappy with the rules, adopted in July by the 
Federal Communications Commission, that require accessibility features in 
phone gear and services including voicemail and interactive services.

But Jan. 19 was the last day for challenging the rules in federal court, 
and FCC officials said Friday that no company had filed. Such a challenge 
could have forced the FCC to suspend the rules and delayed the introduction 
of more accessible products.

``I am pleased that the industry is focusing its considerable talents on 
implementing the rules rather than on challenging them,'' FCC Chairman 
William Kennard said in a statement.

Industry officials complained that the rules went beyond the agency's 
authority by including services like voicemail and all wireless phone sets.

After hearing rumors that an industry-led court challenge was in the works 
last fall, Kennard publicly asked companies to reconsider.

The rules allowed equipment manufacturers and service providers to 
determine on their own what accessibility features to include.

Solutions range from putting a small bump on the '5' key of a telephone 
keypad, allowing a blind person to figure out where each button is located, 
to including interfaces for text-based calling equipment or voice-activated 
controls.

The FCC ordered companies to evaluate accessibility features during the 
earliest phases of the design process and to include access features that 
can be accomplished easily and without much added cost.