On May 16, TIA is co-hosting an Accessible Technology Fair for lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Nearly 20 companies will showcase a variety of accessible services and technologies used to improve the lives of persons living with disabilities. The three-hour-long demo, which begins at noon (ET) in Room 2168 of the Rayburn House Office Building, is the result of industry collaboration of four trade associations: TIA, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), CTIA, The Wireless Association, and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC).

At the event, members of Congress and their staffs, along with the disability community, will be able to check out accessible technology products, features and applications that are available today, including voice recognition and one-touch dialing for individuals with sight or mobility impairment, new visual displays and hearing aid compatibility for the hearing impaired, closed captioning on converter boxes and real-time Instant Message (IM). The Tech Fair will also show the ongoing efforts to incorporate accessibility into emerging technologies, such as developing standards for real-time text (RTT), hearing-aid compatibility for Wi-Fi and VoIP phones and closed captioning for Web video.

The Tech Fair coincides with a push by Congress, the disability community and technology industries to increase the availability of accessible information and communication technologies. At the forefront of the effort is Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and author of draft legislation, Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. The subcommittee held a hearing on a draft bill on May 1. 

Tech Fair exhibitors include Adobe, AOL, AT&T, HP, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and WGBH. 

For more information, please contact Rebecca Schwartz at +1.202.346.3248 or rschwartz@tiaonline.org

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On May 9, TIA hosted a Broadband and Technology Roundtable (B&T) breakfast featuring Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee and a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as its Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

Chairman Gordon was the original author of what is now known as the America COMPETES Act, PL 110-69, which was signed into law in August 2007. TIA was a strong supporter of that legislation and is now lobbying aggressively for its full implementation and for federal appropriations for the National Institutes of Science Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) at the levels authorized by the bill. At the BB&T, TIA members spoke about the need to pay sustained attention to the direction of the federal research agencies. Members attending heard from the chairman about his committee’s priorities heading into the summer, including a hearing regarding the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) recommendations for the federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program (NITRD).

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