1. GSC-11: "Standardization Advancing Global Communications"
User Workshop
Dan Bart
Senior Vice President, Standards
and Special Projects, TIA

2. WHO is TIA?
TIA is a leading trade association for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, with 600 member companies that manufacture or supply the products and services used in global communications.
TIA is an ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organization (SDO) in the ICT Sector
TIA represents its members on the full range of public policy issues affecting the ICT industry and forges consensus on industry standards.
Among their numerous lines of business, TIA member companies design, produce, and deploy network and terminal equipment, including equipment used in IP-enabled networks.
TIA engineering committees also produce technical standards in response to customers, consumers, and the public safety community.

3. Accessibility at TIA
Full report on TIA Accessibility activities given at GSC-10, User Workshop, Contribution 18
All recent GSC inputs and outputs are on GSC Portal at with link to archives of GSC at ITU
Many of the same topics are repeated at today’s WS and TIA will provide some updates
FCC Summit on Emergency Communications for Persons with Disabilities
Technology Solutions Panel
ANSI HSSP Emergency Communications Workshop, Dec 04 and Dec 05
National Academy of Sciences Crisis Communications WS
TIA as Industry Advisor and Moderator to Gallaudet Conference: “Accessible Emergency Notification and Communication Conference,” November 2-3, 2005

4. GSC Materials
How to surf the Net at GSC!

5. Thank You and Questions?
Contact: Dan Bart
TIA-ACCESS

6. Backup Slides

7. Accessibility at TIA
Industry Advisor to “Access Alerts Project Advisory Board” at Gallaudet University
Provided the Corporation for Public Broadcasting/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) with a letter of support for a grant to fund work with technology developers and disability community leaders to ensure that emergency warnings are accessible, including systems and services for wired, wireless, DTV- and IP-based delivery of warnings and alerts.
NCAM acts as the research and development arm of WGBH's Media Access Group and is involved in technology and policy and program development to assure that the nation's media and technologies are fully accessible to people with disabilities.
The Access to Emergency Alerts project unites emergency alert providers, local information resources, telecommunications industry and public broadcasting representatives, and consumers in a collaborative effort to research and disseminate replicable approaches to make emergency warnings accessible. Alert systems, services and products are developing a range of text and audio alert capabilities that have the potential to serve people with disabilities but most are inconsistent in terms of fully supporting appropriate modalities and accessible interfaces. This project addresses an urgent need -- to develop and encourage adoption of standardized methods, systems and services to identify, filter and present content in ways that are meaningful to people with disabilities.

8. Accessibility at TIA
The U.S. Department of Commerce accepted Access Alerts project and the project was funded.
The Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) promotes the widespread availability and use of digital network technologies in the public and non-profit sectors.
As part of the Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), TOP gives grants for model projects demonstrating innovative uses of network technologies. TOP evaluates and actively shares the lessons learned from these projects to ensure the benefits are broadly distributed across the country.
TOP makes matching grants to state, local and tribal governments, health care providers, schools, libraries, police departments, and community-based non-profit organizations.