IsraelEqual Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Accessibility to Telecommunications Services and Facilities) Regulations, 5769-2009
Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Accessibility to Telecommunications Services and Facilities) Regulations 5769-2009, regs. 1-11 (Hebrew regulations 1-11)
In force since .
An accessibility requirements rule binding private bodies.
As of .
What it requires
- If you hold a general license to provide domestic fixed or mobile telephony services and offer terminal equipment to customers, offer at least two models for each of the five groups regulation 4(א) names, with the features it lists, mark the accessibility features on the packaging or in a leaflet, and let a person with a disability try each model free of charge at the point of sale (regulation 4).
- Offer, in Hebrew and Arabic, a text-to-speech text-message service for people with visual impairments and a relay service through an operator for people with hearing or speech disabilities, available at all hours every day of the year (regulation 5).
- Do not charge a person with a disability for the adjustments these Regulations require (regulation 7).
- Publish the accessibility adjustments you make, including on your website, with the accessible models, their features and prices, where they are sold, and the right to try a model (regulation 8).
- Report to the Minister of Communications and the Commissioner on 1 January each year on how you implement these Regulations (regulation 9).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text, as of .
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionYes
Criminal exposure note
Breaching an accessibility order the Commissioner issues to a person bound to make accessibility adjustments under the Law is an offence punishable by the fine in section 61(a)(3) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977, plus a further fine of 5% of that fine for each day the offence continues beyond the period the order sets, and a corporation is liable to twice that fine (section 19מח(ג) and (ד) of the Law).
Statutory damages
For a breach of a provision made under section 19יב of the Law the court may award compensation without proof of damage in an amount that does not exceed NIS 50,000 (section 19נא(ב)(2) of the Law), unless the defendant proves one of the conditions in section 19נא(ג).
- As of
- Currency
- ILS
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
The Commissioner for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, who may order a person bound to make accessibility adjustments under the Law to take the actions the order lists; license holders report to the Minister of Communications and the Commissioner
What it reaches
Instrument type
a regulation made under an act
Applicability criteria
- As of
- Combinator
- All of
- Criteria
- received a general license to provide domestic fixed or mobile telephony services
What this law does
The Minister of Communications made the Regulations on 3 Tevet 5769, which is , under section 19יב(ד) of the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, 5758-1998. They bind a license holder, which is a person that received a general license to provide domestic fixed or mobile telephony services. A license holder's telecommunications service and facilities must be accessible to people with disabilities under the Law, the Regulations and any other law.
A license holder that offers terminal equipment to its customers must offer at least two models for each of five groups: people with hearing impairments, mobile models with video calling for people with hearing impairments, people with visual impairments, people with limited hand function, and fixed models for people with cognitive disabilities.
Models for people with visual impairments must be able to voice the screen content, keys and menus, and mobile models must allow voice-activated dialing. The license holder marks the accessibility features on the packaging or in a separate leaflet and lets a person with a disability try a model of each kind free of charge at the points of sale.
A license holder must offer, in Hebrew and Arabic, a text-message service for people with visual impairments through text-to-speech technology or other technological means, and a telephone relay service through an operator for people with hearing or speech disabilities, available every day of the year and at all hours. A license holder may not charge a person with a disability for the adjustments the Regulations require.
A license holder must publish the accessibility adjustments it makes, including on its website, with the accessible models, their features and prices, the points of sale and the right to try a model. A license holder reports to the Minister and the Commissioner on 1 January each year on its implementation of the Regulations. The Regulations came into force on , and regulation 5 on .
The Regulations do not detract from the license holder's duties under regulations made under section 19יב(א) of the Law. Under section 19נא of the Law, an act or omission contrary to a provision made under section 19יב is a civil tort for which the court may award compensation of up to NIS 50,000 without proof of damage.
When LexLint raises it
When your app profile says your app ships a consumer interface or provides telecom services.