1. PURPOSE: This charter establishes the “Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee” (Committee) for the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2, and the administrative guidelines issued by the General Services Administration's Committee Management Secretariat, 41 C.F.R. Part 101 6.
2. AUTHORITY: The establishment of the Committee is in the public interest and supports the Access Board in performing its duties and responsibilities under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. § 255) and the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 (29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)).
3. SPONSOR AND OFFICE SUPPORT: The Committee shall report to the Access Board as its sponsor. Support services shall be provided or arranged by the Access Board.
4. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES: The Committee shall advise the Access Board on issues related to revising and updating accessibility guidelines for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment and accessibility standards for electronic and information technology. The Committee shall act solely in an advisory capacity to the Access Board and shall neither exercise any program management responsibility nor make decisions directly affecting the matters on which it provides advice.
5. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS: Consistent with the scope and objectives described in paragraph 4 of this charter, the Committee is authorized to make recommendations to the Access Board on:
(a) types of products to be covered;
(b) barriers to the use of such products by persons with disabilities;
(c) solutions to such barriers, if known, and research on such barriers;
(d) harmonization with international standards efforts in this area; and
(e) contents of the revised and updated guidelines and standards.
6. MEMBERSHIP: The membership will be balanced in terms of points of view represented, including Federal agencies; the telecommunications and electronic and information technology industry, including manufacturers; organizations representing the access needs of individuals with disabilities; representatives from other countries and international standards setting organizations; and other organizations affected by the accessibility guidelines and standards. Representatives of each of these interests shall be selected by the Chairperson of the Access Board and appointed as Committee members for the duration of the Committee’s existence.
7. SUBCOMMITTEES: The Committee may form subcommittees for any purpose consistent with this charter. The subcommittees shall report to the Committee.
8. CHAIRPERSON: The Chairperson of the Committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Access Board. The Chairperson of any subcommittees shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee.
9. MEETINGS: Meetings shall be held as necessary at the call of the Chairperson of the Committee, with the approval of the designated Federal official. Meetings shall be open to the public and timely notice of each meeting shall be published in the Federal Register. Meetings shall be conducted and records of the proceedings kept, as required by applicable laws and regulations.
10. COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS: The Access Board will not compensate Committee members for their service. Committee members will be responsible for their own expenses for participation in the Committee, except that the Access Board may pay for a member’s reasonable travel expenses if the member certifies a lack of adequate financial resources to participate in the Committee and the Access Board determines that the member’s participation in the Committee is necessary to assure adequate representation of the various interests potentially affected by the accessibility guidelines and standards.
11. ESTIMATED ANNUAL COSTS: The costs for the Committee, excluding the cost of Board staff, are estimated at $105,000. No government staff positions are being allocated to the Committee on a full time basis.
12. DURATION: The Committee will terminate two years from the date of filing this charter with the appropriate Committees of Congress, unless the Committee is renewed or terminated sooner.
November 9, 2005
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Board Approval Date
April 27, 2006
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GSA Review Date
July 30, 2006
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Date Filed with Congress