FCC March 2026 Open Meeting to Consider Proceedings with Accessibility Issues

On March 26, 2026, the FCC at its Open Meeting will consider among other items, a Report and Order (R&O) on Technology Transitions, an item on Suspension and Debarment, and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for combatting robocalls.

Meeting Host: Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The March 2026 Open Meeting is scheduled for 10:30 am [Eastern Time] on March 26, 2026, and will be held in the Commission Meeting Room, 45 L Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20554.

The FCC meeting is also streamed live at www.fcc.gov/live.  Open captioning and sign language interpreting will be provided for this meeting.  Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request.  E-mail your request to fcc504@fcc.gov or call 202-418-0530.

More specifically about draft items with accessibility issues:

Technology Transitions.  The Commission will consider a Report and Order that adopts measures to reduce regulatory barriers and costs that hinder the transition from outdated legacy networks and services to next-generation, IP-based infrastructure. The draft Report and Order proposes to streamline regulatory requirements to allow service providers to retire copper line networks and transition to new high-speed networks while safeguarding access to these new services for persons with disabilities and to critical emergency services such as 911.  The Report and Order would not adopt an accessibility-specific requirement as part of the transition.  The Report and Order would note that service providers remain obligated to comply with all accessibility requirements applicable to the services they provide and that FCC staff are available to review concerns regarding the accessibility of a service.  The Report and Order would state that accessibility concerns regarding replacement services should be addressed in the TRS Modernization proceeding.

Suspension and Debarment.  The FCC will consider a draft Report and Order,  Final Direct Rule, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) that would revise the FCC’s suspension and debarment rules and extend those rules to the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)  program and the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP).  Currently, the suspension and debarment rules only apply to the Universal Service Fund (USF) programs.

Combatting Robocalls.  The FCC will consider a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that  would propose changes to telephone numbering policies to combat illegal robocalls.  One proposal would extend certain robocall certification requirements to all service providers that receive numbering resources directly from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA).  However, the FCC would propose to exclude providers of Video Relay Service (VRS) and Internet Protocol Relay Service (IP Relay) from the proposed certification requirements because of the close oversight of the use of numbering resources by these forms of TRS by the FCC and Interstate TRS Fund administrator.

Link to Announcement of the March Open Meeting Agenda:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-tentative-agenda-march-open-meeting-13

Draft Technology Transitions R&O:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/modernizing-network-and-communication-services

Draft Suspension and Debarment R&O, Direct Final Rule, and FNPRM:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/modernizing-suspension-and-debarment-rules

Draft Combatting Robocalls NPRM:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/combatting-illegal-robocalls-through-fcc-numbering-policies

For specific accessibility questions about these items, please contact Bill Wallace, Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, at 202-418-2716, or William.Wallace@fcc.gov.  Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at 844-432-2275 (videophone).