b'LEGALREPORTADAs Internet Challenge for Vessel OwnersBy Steven Bers, Esq.O ne of the most challenging issues to emerge in theAs of 2019, 30 years after enactment of ADA, courts are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) saga is theunresolved in defi ning the obligations of the ADA in relation unresolved question of the extent, if any, to whichto the commercial realities of the Internet. Indeed, as of 2019 ADA applies to commercial activity on the Internet. In 1990,the courts remain unresolved on whether commercial en-when ADA was fi rst enacted, fewterprises, such as passenger vessel would have imagined that theDespite uncertainty as to the mannerbusinesses, have an obligation to Internet would grow to become aor application of ADA to web sites, themake Internet and other electronic necessary and dominant commer- Department of Justice has not engagedsystems fully compatible with the cial requirement for almost everyin defi nitional guidance or rule making.needs of the deaf or blind. Note, business, including passengeras a possible exception, the U.S. vessel operations. Currently, it isDepartment of Transportation diffi cult, if not impossible, to fi nd any PVA vessel member(DOT) ADA service guidelines, to date, do require TTD com-or associate member that has not created and does not relypatibility for ferry systems that provide telephone informa-heavily upon the Internet as the front door to its business. tion systems.Eachyear,thousandsofpreventablemaritime accidents are caused by operator inattention, cited twice as frequently as the next leading factor. The Furuno BR500 Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System (BNWAS) helps to prevent these accidents.Scan this code with your smart phone for a Guided Tour of the BR500.www.FurunoUSA.com22AUGUST 2019FOGHORN'