From: oedipus To: A16.A16(RM-8653,RM-8648) Date: 7/22/95 1:22pm Subject: support for RM8653; opposition to RM8648 July 21, 1995 Re: Support for petition RM-8653. Opposition to petition RM-8648. To whom it may concern, I am writing as a private citizen to express my support for the Apple NII Communications Commons proposal, presented to the FCC as petition RM-8653. As a blind individual, I have been routinely reduced to roadkill on the information superhighway by commercial internet and network service and software providers which, through the implementation of increasingly exclusive graphical user interfaces, curtail my access to information in a medium -- namely, digital data and electronic text -- which is, ostensibly, not only immediately accessible to all, but -- more importantly, from the perspective of a blind or visually impaired individual -- immediately utilizable through the aid of an individual's adaptive equipment. Adaptive equipment, however, is not only extremely -- and often prohibitively -- expensive, but is compensatory in nature. Therefore, I believe that it is imperative that non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and private individuals have access to the radio spectrum for the purpose of establishing and maintaining informational networks which are not only specifically tailored to the needs of blind and handicapped individuals, but to the capacities of the adaptive equipment used by disabled individuals. I therefore wish to vigorously second petition RM-8653's request that the FCC allow public use of the common radio spectrum within the 300 Mhz band for the purpose of establishing a low cost and widely accessible digital signal processing communications network. In expressing my support for RM-8653, I also wish to register my opposition to petition RM-8648, filed by WINForum, which seeks to reserve the use of the 300 MHz spectrum for the exclusive use of in-office wireless networks, commercial wireless PBXes, and other commercial telecommunications endeavors. While I recognize telecommunications companies' right to exist and conduct business under the superintendence of the FCC, it is my firm belief that reallocating the specified spectrum to the commercial sector would be tantamount to the granting of a monopoly on wireless digital communications to corporate entities which have shown a pattern of callous disregard for the needs and concerns of handicapped individuals. The granting of such a monopoly to commercial telecommunications entities would, therefore, be an unwarranted and untenable violation of my rights as an individual citizen. It is essential that the FCC safeguard the right of visually impaired individuals to access information and to communicate effectively in a medium which is easily accessible and immediately utilizable, by allocating the specified spectrum for free, public use by unlicensed individuals (using type-licensed transcievers), with hardware-imposed rules intended to assure the equitable sharing of any and all allocated frequencies. The Apple proposal for public use of a 300 Mhz band for the proposed NII band would not only best serve the public interest of the general public, but would be a landmark in the continuing struggle to resolve issues related to the public access of information and the informational infrastructure by the handicapped. Sincerely, Gregory J. Rosmaita =-=-=-=-= Gregory J. Rosmaita 3 Highfield Terrace North Caldwell, NJ 07006-4710