I think that for people with disabilities telecommunications is their lifeline. It is the way of communicating and connecting, whether it's through your computer or your telephone. Without connection, people will be more and more isolated and will be less and less employable.
It is the government's view that we should be assisting people with disabilities and not creating increased barriers. It's our view that without really standardized approaches to telecom in the level of accessibility, both at the network level design and the terminal equipment design such as exists in the United States, we will be really going backwards.
I want to point out that there has been an organization for 30 years in the States called the Access Board, which sets regulations. It's currently reviewing all the standards for section 508 under the rehabilitation act and section 255 under the telecommunications act in the States, both of which are very powerful instruments that lead to accessible telecommunications in that country. It really seems quite backward that we should be jumping ahead wholesale, without looking seriously at these issues. We must go back, if we can, to really examine seriously the report from the panel.
The disability community really needs time to adjust, to hear, and to participate. Quick action by the government now will really cut out the public debate. This is not in the front pages of the paper. We're a little two-person group trying to get the issue on the disability community's platform. If the government goes too quickly, it will really undo a great deal of important work and leave people in more isolated lives.