ITAA and its Task Group believe that changes in Federal procurement standards will ultimately affect the broader consumer software and technology market as well. The ultimate regulations promulgated under Section 508 will be adopted by many states in their procurement processes as well as most educational institutions receiving funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The net result is that development costs of ensuring that technology products, especially software, are compliant with Section 508 may well preclude development of separate products for government and the commercial market. Government standards, therefore, have the potential to shape overall software development. And, as the AOL lawsuit makes clear, government standards can be applied in new and creative ways.
Industry is somewhat under time constraints.
The actual text of the draft standards was due by February 7, 2000. They were released on March 30, 2000. ITAA has played a critical role in helping to resolve this important procedural impasse. The Working Group will discuss what steps ITAA should take and what role it will play in the FAR Council process. The Task Group appreciates the efforts of ITAA members who participated in preparing the joint response to the draft standards.