Congress to Hear Testimony for Accessible Telecommunications and Video Programming

April 29, 2008

On May 1, the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the 21st-Century Telecommunications and Video Accessibility Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to expand access to Internet-enabled telephony, video programming through video description of emergency information and program content, availability of equipment for deaf-blind consumers, and the now largely inaccessible user interfaces employed by a wide variety of devices that receive and display video programming.

The hearing featured testimony from star witnesses with both personal and professional knowledge of the challenges and solutions to accessibility. They include Jamal Anderson, NFL running back for the Atlanta Falcons, Russell Harvard, a Hollywood actor who is deaf, Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, who experiences significant vision loss as a result of his recent service in Iraq, and Larry Goldberg with WGBH in Boston, a leading provider of video programming accessibility for people with disabilities.

While the legislation is currently a so-called discussion draft and does not have an official bill number, every expectation is that formal introduction of the legislation and initial action by Congress is to occur soon. AFB and other organizations of and for people with disabilities are engaged in regular and productive negotiations with leading telecommunications and video programming industry representatives and interest groups to hammer out the specifics of the measure. The bill promises to be as broad in scope and technical in composition as it is likely to be of tremendous benefit to individuals with vision and hearing loss, as well as all people with disabilities.

In particular, the bill's objectives include

• Expanded access to text messaging and other data services through Internet-enabled telecommunications devices
• "Smart" or Internet-enabled phones that are hearing aid compatible;
• Devices, even those smaller than 13 inch TV screens, must display captioning;
• Video description on television so people with vision loss can access emergency announcements and more fully enjoy program content;
• Accessible user interfaces/menus on devices such as TVs, VCRs, and DVD players, so blind and deaf users can operate them.
• Discounts for eligible disabled broadband users who require videophones to communicate;
• A set aside of some funds for equipment development for deaf-blind persons to make phone calls.

For further information, contact

Mark Richert
Director, Public Policy
mailto:mrichert@afb.net