47 USC 615 - Emergency Access Advisory Committee

View all text of Subchapter VI [§ 601 - § 624]

§ 615c. Emergency Access Advisory Committee

(a) Establishment

(b) Membership

As soon as practicable after October 8, 2010, the Chairman of the Commission shall appoint the members of the Advisory Committee, ensuring a balance between individuals with disabilities and other stakeholders, and shall designate two such members as the co-chairs of the Committee. Members of the Advisory Committee shall be selected from the following groups:

(1) State and local government and emergency responder representatives

(2) Subject matter experts

Individuals who have the technical knowledge and expertise to serve on the Advisory Committee in the fulfillment of its duties, including representatives of—

(A) providers of interconnected and non-interconnected VoIP services;

(B) vendors, developers, and manufacturers of systems, facilities, equipment, and capabilities for the provision of interconnected and non-interconnected VoIP services;

(D) Federal agencies or departments responsible for the implementation of the Next Generation E 9–1–1 system;

(E) the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and

(F) other individuals with such technical knowledge and expertise.

(3) Representatives of other stakeholders and interested parties

Within 1 year after the completion of the member appointment process by the Chairman of the Commission pursuant to subsection (b), the Advisory Committee shall conduct a national survey of individuals with disabilities, seeking input from the groups described in subsection (b)(2), to determine the most effective and efficient technologies and methods by which to enable access to emergency services by individuals with disabilities and shall develop and submit to the Commission recommendations to implement such technologies and methods, including recommendations—

(1) with respect to what actions are necessary as a part of the migration to a national Internet protocol-enabled network to achieve reliable, interoperable communication transmitted over such network that will ensure access to emergency services by individuals with disabilities;

(2) for protocols, technical capabilities, and technical requirements to ensure the reliability and interoperability necessary to ensure access to emergency services by individuals with disabilities;

(3) for the establishment of technical standards for use by public safety answering points, designated default answering points, and local emergency authorities;

(4) for relevant technical standards and requirements for communication devices and equipment and technologies to enable the use of reliable emergency access;

(5) for procedures to be followed by IP-enabled network providers to ensure that such providers do not install features, functions, or capabilities that would conflict with technical standards;

(6) for deadlines by which providers of interconnected and non-interconnected VoIP services and manufacturers of equipment used for such services shall achieve the actions required in paragraphs (1) through (5), where achievable, and for the possible phase out of the use 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 individuals with disabilities;

(7) for the establishment of rules to update the Commission’s rules with respect to 9–1–1 services and E–911 services (as defined in section 158(e)(4) 1

1 See References in Text note below.

of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 942(e)(4))), for users of telecommunications relay services as new technologies and methods for providing such relay services are adopted by providers of such relay services; and

(8) that take into account what is technically and economically feasible.

(d) Meetings

(1) Initial meeting

(2) Other meetings

(3) Notice; open meetings

(e) Rules

(1) Quorum

(2) Subcommittees

(3) Additional rules

(f) Chapter 10 of title 5

(g) Implementing recommendations

(h) Definitions

In this section—

(1) the term “Commission” means the Federal Communications Commission;

(2) the term “Chairman” means the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; and

(3) except as otherwise expressly provided, other terms have the meanings given such terms in section 153 of this title.

(Pub. L. 111–260, title I, § 106, Oct. 8, 2010, 124 Stat. 2762; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(298), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4338.)