The Access Board published one technology-accessibility rule on January 18, 2017, but it contains two statutory tracks. Section 508 concerns covered federal-agency information and communication technology. Section 255 concerns telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment. Combining the documents administratively does not combine their implementation authorities or make them a universal private-sector mandate. [2017-00395]

For procurement, the final preamble explains that the Board’s section 508 standards are not self-enforcing: they take legal effect when adopted by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council. The issue specifies March 20, 2017 effectiveness and January 18, 2018 section 508 compliance. Revised section 255 guideline compliance instead depends on FCC adoption; the readily-achievable qualification and existing duties remain distinct from that future adoption. [2017-00395]

Why combine the technical treatment? The February 2015 proposal described replacing product categories with requirements organized around functions, including outcome-based provisions for features outside technical requirements. The final rule adopts a functionality-based structure. Reading them together explains the design choice, not an independently corroborated finding that accessibility has already improved. [2017-00395][2015-03467]

Scope still matters. Conforming legacy components unaltered on or after January 18, 2018 receive protection from required modification under the revised section 508 standards. National-security systems and incidental contractor equipment are also excepted. Undue-burden, fundamental-alteration and best-meets provisions require bounded determinations and alternative access. Those limits mean the published compliance date cannot accurately be described as a deadline to retrofit every federal technology item. [2017-00395]

Source documents

  1. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelineshttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2017-01-18/html/2017-00395.htm
  2. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelineshttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-02-27/html/2015-03467.htm