Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers Petition for Class Waiver

On October 22, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau announced that the FCC needs more time to review a petition requesting a waiver from the FCC’s advanced communications accessibility requirements for certain e-reader devices. The petition was filed by a Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers. The Bureau granted the temporary waiver until January 28, 2014. During this temporary waiver period, the FCC will evaluate the merits of the petition and decide whether to grant or deny the waiver request. A number of commenters have expressed opposition to this Petition. For example, the NFB Coalition maintains that e-readers are designed to use ACS as a primary purpose and are marketed as such.