TIA applauded the passage of two key bills in Congress just before Thanksgiving recess that if enacted will augment the U.S. communications infrastructure.   These bills will improve emergency 911 access by IP-based voice services safer, and will also direct the collection of data regarding the types and extent of broadband access nationwide, complimenting industry efforts to see broadband deployed universally across the country.

TIA applauded H.R. 3403, the 911 Modernization and Safety Act of 2007, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week, calling the bill an important step in harmonizing the U.S. public safety network.  “TIA applauds the efforts by Representative Gordon and his colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee that resulted in bill that will improve the ability to access emergency communications systems by VoIP customers, " said TIA President Grant Seiffert.

H.R. 3403, sponsored by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), is a significant step toward making America's IP-based services first-responder friendly.  "Not only does this legislation facilitate the transition to a national IP-based first responder network," Seiffert said, "but it allows for that transition no matter what type of communications technology is being usedby a person in need of emergency assistance."

TIA also commended the passage H.R. 3919, the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007.  "We congratulate the bipartisan leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for coming together to make the necessary changes to allow this bill to move swiftly and with overwhelming support," said TIA President Grant Seiffert.  "This bill demonstrably improves the ability of consumers, industry and policymakers to make decisions that will help increase broadband deployment and subscription rates."

TIA believes the Broadband Census of America Act of 2007 gives local, state and federal governments a useful tool to empower market forces and facilitate broadband deployment.  "With passage of this bill, we will soon have the tools to generate a comprehensive, accurate map of the nation's broadband infrastructure and states will have the mechanism to take a more active role in the planning of broadband investment," Seiffert said.  "The success of similar programs like ConnectKentucky clearly demonstrates that these tools can yield very positive results for broadband consumers in rural and underserved areas."

TIA looks forward to final action and enactment of legislation to address these critical issues.

For information on TIA's legislative efforts please contact Carolyn Holmes Lee at clee@tiaonline.org or 703.907.7790.

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TIA penned a letter last week to Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for the International Trade Administration Chris Padilla, thanking him for his ongoing work on bilateral commercial matters with China.  TIA holds that China is an important and complex market for the communications and IT industry.  The work of the United States Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce is invaluable as our trade and investment relationship with China continues to evolve.

The letter addressed a number of areas of particular importance to TIA members as the Commerce Department prepares for the upcoming meetings of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).

Third-Generation (3G) Mobile Licenses: 
The Chinese government has been supporting the TD-SCDMA standard for third-generation mobile (3G) services, funding its development and pushing it into the market despite a lack of commercial demand.  TIA supports the U.S. government's long-standing policy of technology neutrality regarding technical standards.   While China has voiced support for more technology-neutral alternatives and approved the use of global wireless standards WCDMA and CDMA2000® in May, it made no indication of when licenses will be issued or how many will be awarded, and recent press reports indicate that 3G licenses won't be issued until well in to 2008.

Mobile Handsets: 
TIA remains concerned that 3G-capable handsets are not allowed to be imported into China.  There is a wide range of functionality across handsets and it is difficult to say precisely what is "3G" since embedded features can be turned off or on at the request of the service provider.  TIA also continues to be concerned with the prohibition on WiFi-enabled handsets in China.

Optical Fiber Market Access: 
TIA supports the efforts of the optical fiber industry to secure a commitment from China to increase its imports of optical fiber. U.S. share in the Chinese industry has declined by 50 percent as a result of policies and practices that exclude imports from non-Chinese sources.

Product testing and certification: 
The product testing and certification process in China is significantly more difficult than in other markets, which increases the cost of imports.  China has also opted out of the CB scheme for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing, with the result that such testing must be done in-country, another expensive proposition. EMC requirements emerged out of a collective international effort and most of the world participates in the EMC component of the CB scheme and accepts CB scheme test reports generated by other participating members.

For information on TIA's work in the China market, please contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org or 703-907-7725.

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TIA saluted the efforts of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Commitee and anticipated a full vote on the House floor at press time Wednesday on H.R. 3688, the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA). TIA supports the Peru TPA and the other pending trade agreements for their market-leveling language in favor of the U.S. ICT industry. 

Last week, the Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved the Peru TPA, and a full floor vote was pending at press time. TIA now urges the House and the Senate to approve the bill. The TPA provides many benefits for the U.S. economy, particularly in the tech/telecom sector, where the U.S. market has been relatively easy to enter, while tariffs have long existed in Peru and other Latin American countries. 

Meanwhile, TIA President Grant Seiffert attended Tuesday's White House Forum on International Trade and Investment and echoed the President's call for Congress to pass all four pending trade agreenents, Peru, Colombia, Panama and South Korea. The Forum, attended by sector heads and other representatives of major U.S. economic sectors, served as an educational briefing and discussion period on the benefits of the FTAs to U.S. business.  More than 5,000 U.S. companies export to Peru, according to the U.S.-Peru Trade Coalition, and more than 80 percent of those are the same kind of small and medium-sized companies that make up a majority of TIA's members.

For more information on TIA's free trade efforts, please contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@tiaonline.org or +1.703.907.7725.

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The Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC), which is developing recommendations to the United States Access Board on updating Rehabilitation Act 508 standards for electronic and information technology and its Telecommunications Act guidelines, will hold its next meeting the week of November 13-16. Subcommittee deliberations have been completed, and all further discussion is being conducted by the committee as a whole, particularly on those issues identified as unresolved in the October meeting. 

The committee plans to present its recommendations to the Board in January. The November meeting will take place at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Those who wish to attend must pre-register and follow NSF procedures, including its computer security policy. 

For more information, visit the Board’s Web site at www.access-board.gov/sec508/update-index.htm, the committee’s Web site at http://teitac.org/, or contact Tim Creagan at creagan@access-board.gov, +1.202.272.0016 (v), or +1.202.272.0082 (TTY).

TEITAC Meeting Schedule

• November 13-16  –  Meeting
• December 18 (1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.EST)  – Teleconference
• January 7-9 –  Presentation to the Board

TIA's work for the disability community continues with TEITAC as TIA’s Regulatory and Government Affairs Manager Becky Schwartz moderated a panel last week at the IDEAS 2007 conference in D.C., which fostered in-depth discussions of technology solutions for government procurement, in particular addressing questions on various emerging and established technologies for the deaf and hard-of-hearing applicable to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Other panelists included Jim House of Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Karl Ewan of Sprint; and Michael Young of the Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program.

For more information on TIA's work in the accessibility space, please contact Becky Schwartz at +1.703.907.7477 or rschwartz@tiaonline.org.

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