[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16513-16515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8201]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[DA 03-876]


Consumer Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the first meeting date, agenda, and 
membership of the Consumer Advisory Committee (hereinafter ``the 
Committee''), whose purpose is to make recommendations to the Federal 
Communications Commission (``FCC'' or ``Commission'') regarding 
consumer issues within the jurisdiction of the Commission and to 
facilitate the participation of consumers (including people with 
disabilities and underserved populations, such as Native Americans and 
persons living in rural areas) in proceedings before the Commission. 
Additional meeting dates for calendar year 2003 are also announced.

DATES: The first meeting of the Committee will take place on Friday, 
April 25, 2003, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional meetings for calendar 
year 2003 will occur at the same time on July 11 and November 20.

ADDRESSES: The Committee will meet at the Commission's headquarters 
building, Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. 
Additional meetings during calendar 2003 will be held at the same 
location.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Marshall, 202-418-2809 (voice) 
or 202-418-0179 (TTY), E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Public 
Notice DA 03-876, released March 28, 2003. The Commission announced the 
first meeting date, meeting agenda, and membership of its Consumer 
Advisory Committee. Additional meeting dates for calendar year 2003 
were also announced. The rechartering of the Committee had been 
announced by Public Notice dated December 31, 2002 (see DA 02-3606) as 
published in the Federal Register, 68 FR 2047, January 15, 2003.

Purpose and Functions

    The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations to the 
Commission regarding consumer issues within the jurisdiction of the 
Commission and to facilitate the participation of consumers (including 
people with disabilities and underserved populations, such as Native 
Americans and persons living in rural areas) in proceedings before the 
Commission.
    During its two year term, the Committee will address a number of 
topics including, but not limited to, the following areas:
    [sbull] Consumer protection and education (e.g., cramming, 
slamming, consumer friendly billing, detariffing, bundling of services, 
Lifeline/Linkup programs, customer service, privacy, telemarketing 
abuses, and outreach to underserved populations, such as American 
Indians and persons living in rural areas).
    [sbull] Access by people with disabilities (e.g., 
telecommunications relay services, closed captioning, accessible 
billing, and access to telecommunications products and services).
    [sbull] Impact upon consumers of new and emerging technologies 
(e.g., availability of broadband, digital television, cable, satellite, 
low power FM, and the convergence of these and emerging technologies).
    [sbull] Implementation of Commission rules and consumer 
participation in the FCC rulemaking process.

Members

    The Commission received over one hundred (100) applications for 
membership on the Committee, from twenty-eight (28) states and the 
District of Columbia. After a careful review of these applications, 
thirty-five (35) members were appointed to the Committee (thirty 
organizational members and five individual members). This selected 
group is designed to be represented of the Commission's many 
constituencies, and the expertise and diversity selected will provide a 
balanced point of view as required by the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act. In addition, in accordance with Section K. of the Committee's 
Charter, Chairman Michael K. Powell hereby appoints Shirley L. Rooker, 
President, Call For Action, as the Committee's Chairperson. All 
appointments are effective immediately and shall terminate November 20, 
2004 or until the committee is terminated, whichever is earlier.
    The roster of the Committee, as appointed by Chairman Powell, is as 
follows:
    1. AARP, Jeff Kramer, Senior Legislative Representatives;
    2. Affiliated Tribes of NW Indians Economic Development Corp., 
Cheryl Johnson, Tribal Telephone Outreach Coordinator;
    3. Alliance for Public Technology, Matthew D. Bennett, Public 
Policy Director;
    4. American Council of the Blind, David Poehlman, Technology Access 
Consultant;
    5. AT&T Corp., Michael F. del Casino, Regulatory Director;
    6. Bell South, Cindy Cox, Senior Director-Regulatory & External 
Affairs, Retail Markets;
    7. Brugger Consulting, David Brugger, President & CEO;
    8. Call For Action, Shirley L. Rooker, President;
    9. Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, Andrea 
Williams, Assistant General Counsel;
    10. Cingular Wireless, Susan Palmer, Director, Federal Regulatory 
Affairs;
    11. Consumer Policy Consulting, Debra Berlyn, President.
    12. Consumer First, Inc., Jim Conran, President.
    13. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Action Network, Claude Stout;
    14. Mike Duke (representing interests of blind or visually impaired 
persons, licensed radio amateur operators, and management of audio 
information services for the blind);
    15. Fight Back Foundation for Consumer Education, David Horowitz, 
Chairman;
    16. Stephen Gregory (representing interests of persons with hearing 
loss and small business owners);
    17. Hamilton Telephone Company, dba Hamilton Relay Service, Dixie 
Ziegler, Director of Relay;
    18. Hometown Online, subsidiary of Warwick Valley Telephone 
Company, Donald Snoop, Managing Director;
    19. Rebecca Ladew (representing the interests of users of speech-
to-speech technology);
    20. League for the Hard of Hearing, Joseph Gordon, Chair, 
Telecommunications Committee;
    21. LTC Consulting/Teletruth, Thomas Allibone, President and 
Director of Auditing;
    22. MCI, Annette Cleckner, Senior Manager Consumer Affairs;
    23. Media Access Group, WGBH, Larry Goldberg, Director;
    24. National Association of Broadcasters, Karen Kirsch, Vice 
President of Regulatory Affairs;
    25. National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators, Ronald 
Mallard, Director, Fairfax County Department of Cable Communications & 
Consumer Protection;
    26. National Association of State Relay Administration, Brenda 
Kelly-Frey, TRS Administrator-State of Maryland;
    27. National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, Joy 
M. Ragsdale, Assistant People's Counsel, Washington, DC;
    28. National Consumers League, Susan Grant, Vice President for 
Public Policy;
    29. National Translator Association, Byron W. St. Clair, President;
    30. National Urban League, Milton J. Little, Jr., Executive Vice 
President & Chief Operating Officer;
    31. Mark Pranger (representing the interests of academia and 
consumers concerned with telecommunication service in rural America);
    32. San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Inc., Vernon R. 
James, General Manager;
    33. Telecommunications Industry Association, Eugene Seagriff, 
Product Accessibility Manager, Product Safety & Compliance Division, 
Panasonic Techologies, Inc.;
    34. Verizon Communications, Richard T. Ellis, Director, Federal 
Regulatory Advocacy; and
    35. Linda West (representing the interests of the Native American 
community and other consumers concerned with telecommunication services 
in rural America).

Meeting Dates and Agenda

    The first meeting of the Committee will take place on Friday, April 
25, 2003, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Commission's headquarters Building, 
Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. Additional 
meetings for calendar year 2003 will be held on July 11 and November 
20, at the same time and location.
    At its April 25, 2003 meeting, the Committee will address matters 
of

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internal business and organization, including the establishment of 
working groups, and will consider consumer issues within the 
jurisdiction of the Commission.

Availability of Copies and Electronic Accessibility

    A copy of the March 28, 2003 Public Notice is available in 
alternate formats (Braille, cassette tape, large print or diskette) 
upon request. It is also posted on the Commission's Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac. The Committee meetings will be broadcast on the 
Internet in Real Audio/Real Video format with captioning at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac. Meetings will be sign language interpreted, and 
real-time transcription and assistive listening devices will be also 
available. The meeting site is fully accessible to people with 
disabilities. Copies of meeting agendas and handout materials will also 
be provided in accessible formats. Meeting minutes will be available 
for public inspection at the FCC headquarters building and will be 
posted on the Commission's Web site at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac.
    The Committee meeting will be open to the public and interested 
persons may attend the meeting and communicate their views. Members of 
the public will have an opportunity to address the Committee on issues 
of interest to them and the Committee. Written comments for the 
Committee may also be sent to the Committee's Designated Federal 
Officer, Scott Marshall.

Federal Communications Commission.
K. Dane Snowden,
Chief, Consumer & Government Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 03-8201 Filed 4-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-M