Appendix B to Part 1194 - Section 255 of the Communications Act: Application and Scoping Requirements
36:3.0.9.1.10.0.5.3.17 : Appendix B
Appendix B to Part 1194 - Section 255 of the Communications Act:
Application and Scoping Requirements Table of Contents 255 Chapter
1: Application and Administration C101 General C102 Referenced
Standards C103 Definitions 255 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements C201
Application C202 Functional Performance Criteria C203 Electronic
Content C204 Hardware C205 Software C206 Support Documentation and
Services 255 Chapter 1: Application and Administration C101 General
C101.1 Purpose. These Revised 255 Guidelines, which
consist of 255 Chapters 1 and 2 (Appendix B), along with Chapters 3
through 7 (Appendix C), contain scoping and technical requirements
for the design, development, and fabrication of telecommunications
equipment and customer premises equipment, content, and support
documentation and services, to ensure accessibility and usability
by individuals with disabilities. These Revised 255 Guidelines are
to be applied to the extent required by regulations issued by the
Federal Communications Commission under Section 255 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended (47 U.S.C. 255).
C101.2 Equivalent Facilitation. The use of an alternative
design or technology that results in substantially equivalent or
greater accessibility and usability by individuals with
disabilities than would be provided by conformance to one or more
of the requirements in Chapters 4 and 5 of the Revised 255
Guidelines is permitted. The functional performance criteria in
Chapter 3 shall be used to determine whether substantially
equivalent or greater accessibility and usability is provided to
individuals with disabilities.
C101.3 Conventional Industry Tolerances. Dimensions are
subject to conventional industry tolerances except where dimensions
are stated as a range with specific minimum or maximum end
points.
C101.4 Units of Measurement. Measurements are stated in
metric and U.S. customary units. The values stated in each system
(metric and U.S. customary units) may not be exact equivalents, and
each system shall be used independently of the other.
C102 Referenced Standards
C102.1 Application. The specific editions of the
standards listed in Chapter 7 are incorporated by reference into
255 Chapter 2 (Scoping Requirements) and Chapters 3 through 6 to
the prescribed extent of each such reference. Where conflicts occur
between the Revised 255 Guidelines and the referenced standards,
these Revised 255 Guidelines apply.
C103 Definitions
C103.1 Terms Defined in Referenced Standards. Terms
defined in referenced standards and not defined in C103.4 shall
have the meaning as defined in the referenced standards.
C103.2 Undefined Terms. Any term not defined in C103.4 or
in referenced standards shall be given its ordinarily accepted
meaning in the sense that the context implies.
C103.3 Interchangeability. Words, terms, and phrases used
in the singular include the plural and those used in the plural
include the singular.
C103.4 Defined Terms. For the purpose of the Revised 255
Guidelines, the terms defined in C103.4 have the indicated
meaning.
Application. Software designed to perform, or to help the
user perform, a specific task or tasks.
Assistive Technology (AT). Any item, piece of equipment,
or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or
customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve
functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
Audio Description. Narration added to the soundtrack to
describe important visual details that cannot be understood from
the main soundtrack alone. Audio description is a means to inform
individuals who are blind or who have low vision about visual
content essential for comprehension. Audio description of video
provides information about actions, characters, scene changes,
on-screen text, and other visual content. Audio description
supplements the regular audio track of a program. Audio description
is usually added during existing pauses in dialogue. Audio
description is also called “video description” and “descriptive
narration.”
Authoring Tool. Any software, or collection of software
components, that can be used by authors, alone or collaboratively,
to create or modify content for use by others, including other
authors.
Closed Functionality. Characteristics that limit
functionality or prevent a user from attaching or installing
assistive technology.
Content. Electronic information and data, as well as the
encoding that defines its structure, presentation, and
interactions.
Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). Equipment used on the
premises of a person (other than a carrier) to originate, route, or
terminate telecommunications service or interconnected VoIP
service, including software integral to the operation of
telecommunications function of such equipment. Examples of CPE are
telephones, routers, switches, residential gateways, set-top boxes,
fixed mobile convergence products, home networking adaptors and
Internet access gateways which enable consumers to access
communications service providers' services and distribute them
around their house via a Local Access Network (LAN).
Document. Logically distinct assembly of content (such as
a file, set of files, or streamed media) that: Functions as a
single entity rather than a collection; is not part of software;
and does not include its own software to retrieve and present
content for users. Examples of documents include, but are not
limited to, letters, email messages, spreadsheets, presentations,
podcasts, images, and movies.
Hardware. A tangible device, equipment, or physical
component of ICT, such as telephones, computers, multifunction copy
machines, and keyboards.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Information technology and other equipment, systems, technologies,
or processes, for which the principal function is the creation,
manipulation, storage, display, receipt, or transmission of
electronic data and information, as well as any associated
content.
Keyboard. A set of systematically arranged alphanumeric
keys or a control that generates alphanumeric input by which a
machine or device is operated. A keyboard includes tactilely
discernible keys used in conjunction with the alphanumeric keys if
their function maps to keys on the keyboard interfaces.
Label. Text, or a component with a text alternative, that
is presented to a user to identify content. A label is presented to
all users, whereas a name may be hidden and only exposed by
assistive technology. In many cases, the name and the label are the
same.
Manufacturer. A final assembler of telecommunications
equipment or customer premises equipment that sells such equipment
to the public or to vendors that sell to the public.
Menu. A set of selectable options.
Name. Text by which software can identify a component to
the user. A name may be hidden and only exposed by assistive
technology, whereas a label is presented to all users. In many
cases, the label and the name are the same. Name is unrelated to
the name attribute in HTML.
Non-Web Document. A document that is not: A Web page,
embedded in a Web page, or used in the rendering or functioning of
Web pages.
Non-Web Software. Software that is not: A Web page, not
embedded in a Web page, and not used in the rendering or
functioning of Web pages.
Operable Part. Hardware-based user controls for
activating, deactivating, or adjusting ICT.
Platform Accessibility Services. Services provided by a
platform enabling interoperability with assistive technology.
Examples are Application Programming Interfaces (API) and the
Document Object Model (DOM).
Platform Software. Software that interacts with hardware
or provides services for other software. Platform software may run
or host other software, and may isolate them from underlying
software or hardware layers. A single software component may have
both platform and non-platform aspects. Examples of platforms are:
Desktop operating systems; embedded operating systems, including
mobile systems; Web browsers; plug-ins to Web browsers that render
a particular media or format; and sets of components that allow
other applications to execute, such as applications which support
macros or scripting.
Programmatically Determinable. Ability to be determined
by software from author-supplied data that is provided in a way
that different user agents, including assistive technologies, can
extract and present the information to users in different
modalities.
Real-Time Text (RTT). Communications using the
transmission of text by which characters are transmitted by a
terminal as they are typed. Real-time text is used for
conversational purposes. Real-time text also may be used in
voicemail, interactive voice response systems, and other similar
application.
Revised 255 Guidelines. The guidelines for
telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment
covered by Section 255 of the Communications Act as set forth in
255 Chapters 1 and 2 (36 CFR part 1194, Appendix B), and Chapters 3
through 7 (36 CFR part 1193, Appendix C).
Software. Programs, procedures, rules, and related data
and documentation that direct the use and operation of ICT and
instruct it to perform a given task or function. Software includes,
but is not limited to, applications, non-Web software, and platform
software.
Software Tools. Software for which the primary function
is the development of other software. Software tools usually come
in the form of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and are
a suite of related products and utilities. Examples of IDEs include
Microsoft® Visual Studio®, Apple® Xcode®, and Eclipse Foundation
Eclipse®.
Specialized Customer Premises Equipment. Assistive
technology used by individuals with disabilities to originate,
route, or terminate telecommunications or interconnected VoIP
service. Examples are TTYs and amplified telephones.
Telecommunications. The signal transmission between or
among points specified by the user of information and of the user's
choosing without change in the form or content of the information
as sent and received.
Telecommunications Equipment. Equipment, other than
customer premises equipment, used by a carrier to provide
telecommunications service or interconnected VoIP service and
includes software integral to the operation of telecommunications
function of such equipment.
Terminal. Device or software with which the end user
directly interacts and that provides the user interface. For some
systems, the software that provides the user interface may reside
on more than one device such as a telephone and a server.
Text. A sequence of characters that can be
programmatically determined and that expresses something in human
language.
TTY. Equipment that enables interactive text based
communications through the transmission of frequency-shift-keying
audio tones across the public switched telephone network. TTYs
include devices for real-time text communications and voice and
text intermixed communications. Examples of intermixed
communications are voice carry over and hearing carry over. One
example of a TTY is a computer with TTY emulating software and
modem.
Variable Message Signs (VMS). Non-interactive electronic
signs with scrolling, streaming, or paging-down capability. An
example of a VMS is an electronic message board at a transit
station that displays the gate and time information associated with
the next train arrival.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A technology that
provides real-time voice communications. VoIP requires a broadband
connection from the user's location and customer premises equipment
compatible with Internet protocol.
Web page. A non-embedded resource obtained from a single
Universal Resource Identifier (URI) using HyperText Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) plus any other resources that are provided for the
rendering, retrieval, and presentation of content.
Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements C201 Application
C201.1 Scope. Manufacturers shall comply with the
requirements in the Revised 255 Guidelines applicable to
telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment (and
related software integral to the operation of telecommunications
functions) when newly released, upgraded, or substantially changed
from an earlier version or model. Manufacturers shall also conform
to the requirements in the Revised 255 Guidelines for support
documentation and services, including electronic documents and
Web-based product support.
C201.2. Readily Achievable. When a manufacturer
determines that conformance to one or more requirements in Chapter
4 (Hardware) or Chapter 5 (Software) would not be readily
achievable, it shall ensure that the equipment or software is
compatible with existing peripheral devices or specialized customer
premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities
to the extent readily achievable.
C201.3 Access to Functionality. Manufacturers shall
ensure that telecommunications equipment and customer premises
equipment is accessible to and usable by individuals with
disabilities by providing direct access to all telecommunications
functionality. Where manufacturers can demonstrate that it is not
readily achievable for such equipment to provide direct access to
all functionality, the equipment shall support the use of assistive
technology and specialized customer premises equipment where
readily achievable.
C201.4 Prohibited Reduction of Accessibility, Usability, and
Compatibility. No change shall be undertaken that decreases, or
has the effect of decreasing, the net accessibility, usability, or
compatibility of telecommunications equipment or customer premises
equipment.
EXCEPTION: Discontinuation of a product shall not be
prohibited.
C201.5 Design, Development, and Fabrication.
Manufacturers shall evaluate the accessibility, usability, and
interoperability of telecommunications equipment and customer
premises equipment during its product design, development, and
fabrication.
C202 Functional Performance Criteria
C202.1 General. Where the requirements in Chapters 4 and
5 do not address one or more functions of telecommunications or
customer premises equipment, the functions not addressed shall
conform to the Functional Performance Criteria specified in Chapter
3.
C203 Electronic Content
C203.1 General. Electronic content that is integral to
the use of telecommunications or customer premises equipment shall
conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance
Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see
702.10.1).
EXCEPTION: Non-Web documents shall not be required to conform to
the following four WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks,
2.4.5 Multiple Ways, 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation, and 3.2.4
Consistent Identification.
C203.1.1 Word Substitution when Applying WCAG to Non-Web
Documents. For non-Web documents, wherever the term “Web page” or
“page” appears in WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria and
Conformance Requirements, the term “document' shall be substituted
for the terms “Web page” and “page.” In addition, in Success
Criterion in 1.4.2, the phrase “in a document” shall be substituted
for the phrase “on a Web page.”
C204 Hardware
C204.1 General. Where components of telecommunications
equipment and customer premises equipment are hardware, and
transmit information or have a user interface, those components
shall conform to applicable requirements in Chapter 4.
EXCEPTION: Components of telecommunications equipment and
customer premises equipment shall not be required to conform to
402, 407.7, 407.8, 408, 412.8.4, and 415.
C205 Software
C205.1 General. Where software is integral to the use of
telecommunications functions of telecommunications equipment or
customer premises equipment and has a user interface, such software
shall conform to C205 and applicable requirements in Chapter 5.
EXCEPTION: Software that is assistive technology and that
supports the accessibility services of the platform shall not be
required to conform to the requirements in Chapter 5.
C205.2 WCAG Conformance. User interface components, as
well as the content of platforms and applications shall conform to
Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements
in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see 702.10.1).
EXCEPTIONS: 1. Software that is assistive technology and that
supports the accessibility services of the platform shall not be
required to conform to C205.2.
2. Non-Web software shall not be required to conform to the
following four Success Criteria in WCAG 2.0: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks;
2.4.5 Multiple Ways; 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation; and 3.2.4
Consistent Identification.
3. Non-Web software shall not be required to conform to
Conformance Requirement 3 Complete Processes in WCAG 2.0.
C205.2.1 Word Substitution when Applying WCAG to Non-Web
Software. For non-Web software, wherever the term “Web page” or
“page” appears in WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria and
Conformance Requirements, the term “software” shall be substituted
for the terms “Web page” and “page.” In addition, in Success
Criterion 1.4.2, the phrase “in software” shall be substituted for
the phrase “on a Web page.”
C205.3 Complete Processes for Non-Web Software. Where
non-Web software requires multiple steps to accomplish an activity,
all software related to the activity to be accomplished shall
conform to WCAG 2.0 as specified in C205.2.
C206 Support Documentation and Services
C206.1 General. Where support documentation and services
are provided for telecommunications equipment and customer premises
equipment, manufacturers shall ensure that such documentation and
services conform to Chapter 6 and are made available upon request
at no additional charge.
[82 FR 5832, Jan. 18, 2017, as amended at 83 FR 2915, Jan. 22,
2018]