COAT Applauds Representative Markey's
Accessibility Bill
July 2009
Editor: You probably know that accessibility laws often lag new
technology by years, or even decades. A current example is the lack of
legal requirements for Internet videos to be captioned. Representative
Markey has introduced a bill to require those captions as well as many
other accessibility features. Here's a press release from the Coalition of
Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) with more information.
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The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) is very
pleased that Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) has introduced the
"Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009"
(H.R. 3101). The bill would modernize the Communications Act by ensuring
that new Internet-enabled telephone and television services are accessible
to and usable by people with disabilities, and closes existing gaps in
federal laws governing telecommunications access.
Jenifer Simpson, of the American Association of People with
Disabilities (AAPD), said, "The time is now to safeguard an accessible
communications future for people with disabilities as the nation embraces
new broadband and Internet technologies. AAPD applauds Rep. Markey for his
leadership. We look now to the Senate for similar leadership in addressing
accessible communications technologies."
Karen Peltz Strauss, of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), said,
"H.R. 3101 puts people with disabilities squarely into 21st century
communications. This legislation builds on existing law and puts the U.S.
at the forefront of innovations that will ensure that people with
disabilities can take full advantage of Internet advancements enjoyed by
everyone else."
Rosaline Crawford, of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), noted
that "Digital technologies make it possible for televisions and other
video devices - of virtually any size - to receive, transmit, and display
television programs and video clips with captions, so that people who are
deaf and hard of hearing are not left behind. Captioning television
programs and video clips that are shown on the Internet is needed for the
same reasons captioning is needed when shown on television."
Mark Richert, of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), stated, "We
are fed up with having to play catch up whenever new technologies are
released. With enactment, people with vision loss will finally have access
to everything from text messaging their friends, watching their favorite
television shows, and receiving critical emergency alerts."
Eric Bridges, of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), stated,
"Video description and accessible user interfaces on television devices
are essential in providing information about events on screen for people
who are blind or visually impaired. We've waited a long time for this."
Video description is verbal depiction of key visual elements inserted into
natural pauses in television dialogue and is activated by the viewer.
The bill includes the following specific measures:
Communications Access
* Requires access to phone-type equipment and services used over the
Internet.
* Adds improved accountability and enforcement measures for accessibility,
including a clearinghouse and reporting obligations by providers and
manufacturers.
* Requires telephone products used with the Internet to be hearing aid
compatible.
* Allows use of Lifeline and Link-up universal service funds (USF) for
broadband services.
* Allocates up to $10 million/year from USF for equipment used by people
who are deaf-blind.
* Clarifies the scope of relay services to include calls between and among
people with disabilities and requires Internet-based voice communication
service providers to contribute to the Interstate Relay Fund.
* Requires the FCC to establish a real-time text digital standard to
replace the current TTY-to-TTY analog standard.
Video Programming Access
* Requires closed captioning decoder circuitry in all video programming
devices.
* Extends the closed captioning obligations to television-type video
programming distributed over the Internet: covers programming that would
otherwise be covered by the FCC's captioning rules, not user-generated
content.
* Requires easy access to closed captions via remote control and on-screen
menus.
* Requires easy access by blind people to television controls and program
selection menus.
* Restores video description rules and requires access to televised
emergency programming for people who are blind or have low vision.
The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, or COAT,
launched in March 2007, is a coalition of over 240 national, state and
community-based organizations that advocates for full access by people
with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and Internet
protocol (IP) technologies. More information is available on the COAT
website at www.COATaccess.org.
