Emergency Information Access Complaints

September 2002

Editor: A couple of years ago, the FCC released an order that requires emergency information on television to be accessible to people with hearing loss. With hurricanes, tornados, and floods recently in the news, there's been lots of emergency information on television.

Are you aware of a situation in which that information was not accessible to you? If so, please take a minute and file a complaint with the FCC. It will not only help to get your local situation corrected, but will also encourage the FCC to take strong action nationwide.

Filing a complaint is easy. Just follow the instructions in the following article from the TDI-L eNotes. For additional information, you may email TDI at info@tdi-online.org or visit their website at http://www.tdi-online.org.

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Hurricane season is here. As Isidore is churning through the Gulf States, thousands of citizens are affected. People rely on television for advice on how and when to evacuate, emergency shelters, and aid during the aftermath of the storm.

On April 14, 2000, the FCC released an order adopting a rule, requiring that emergency information that is provided to viewers be made accessible to persons with hearing disabilities. Such information may be made accessible either through closed captioning or by using a method of visual presentation. Emergency information is defined as information, about a current emergency, that is intended to further the protection of life, health, safety, and property, i.e., critical details regarding the emergency and how to respond to the emergency. An emergency can be natural such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires; or manmade such as nuclear, chemical or other types of severe accidents, or acts of terrorism.

For the full text of this ruling, go to http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/Public_Notices/2000/da001996.txt.

Since the original ruling, the FCC has issued two reminders to broadcasters, one on 8/13/01 and again on 7/31/02. You can find those rulings at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/caption.html.

One thing you should know... Captioning is listed as one possible method of portraying information visually. Stations are allowed to use crawling text and/or graphics in place of captioning, as long as the critical information is accessible as presented. For more information, the FCC has a Fact Sheet at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/emergencyvideo.html.

A related Fact Sheet on "Communicating During Emergencies" is at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/emergencies.html. It deals with various 911 issues and other information that helps you understand how the network copes with unusual strain during emergencies.

If you had experienced a disaster recently AND your local television station did not make their emergency bulletins accessible to you (either with captions or through crawling text and/or graphics), PLEASE PLEASE file a complaint with the FCC. The important thing to keep in mind is not the grammar, but you must include as much specific information as you can. Remember, even if you did not experience any hurricanes, but you did experience a different type of emergency, please read on. The following information is from the FCC website. (Parentheses supplied).

Filing a Complaint with the FCC Is EASY. You can file conveniently:

- Electronically: If you have a telephone complaint, you can file on line through our Internet site at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html.

- E-Mail: You can send us a complaint through fccinfo@fcc.gov

- Mail: Written complaints can be sent to:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Complaints
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

- Fax: Complaints can be faxed to us at: 202-418-0232

- Phone:
Toll Free: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice,
1-888-TELL- FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY.
Our Consumer and Mediation Specialists are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET

We need the following information:
- Your name, address and the telephone number or numbers involved with your complaint; (if telephone related)
- A telephone number (or email address) where you can be reached during the business day;
- Specific information about your complaint, including the names of all companies (television station, channel, time and date of alleged violations) involved with your complaint;
- (If available,) Names and telephone numbers of the company representatives that you contacted, the dates that you spoke with these representatives, and any other information that would help process your complaint;
- What type of resolution are you seeking?

For more detailed information on filing a complaint, see the FCC fact sheet at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/howtofile.html.

Also, please send a copy of your emergency captioning complaints to TDI at info@tdi-online.org.