From
AAPD's Justice for All blog. Pictured is Ken Harrenstien, who is on a team at Google that developed automatic closed captions for Internet videos.
On August 5, 2010, just before the U.S. Senate adjourned for their recess at 10 p.m., they voted for passage of the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010" (S. 3304) by unanimous consent.
Up until a few hours before passage of the bill, activists from the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), American Council for the Blind (ACB), American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) were educating Senators about the measure and advocating for keeping in language that would ensure more consumer safeguards.
And, due to the extraordinary efforts of advocates across the country who responded to recent Action Alerts and contacted their Senators in the critical days before and of the vote, we have now taken a monumental step forward in accessible technology.
Earlier in the week, Senator Pryor (D-AR), who sponsored S. 3304 in May, had introduced an amended version of his bill that included improvements for people with disabilities (and that also satisfied some industry demands). The amended S. 3304 was then passed by the U.S. Senate unanimously. Like the House version of the “21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act” (H.R. 3101) -- which was passed on the 20th Anniversary of the ADA on July 26, 2010 -- S. 3304 will:
-- Require captioned television programs to be captioned when delivered over the Internet.
-- Authorize the FCC to require 4 hours per week of TV video description with a phase-in to increase this number of hours.
-- Allocate up to $10 million per year for communications equipment used by individuals who are deaf-blind.
-- Require televised emergency information to be accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision.
-- Require accessibility of advanced communications equipment and services, such as text messaging and e-mail.
-- Require accessible connection to Internet services that are built-in to mobile telephone devices, like smart phones, if achievable.
-- Require hearing aid compatibility of Internet-enabled phones.
-- Permits different forms of relay services to connect with each other so, for example, a TTY user can use relay services to call a person who communicates in American Sign Language using a videophone; a Speech-to-Speech relay user can phone a captioned telephone user user.
-- Require devices of any size to be capable of displaying closed captioning, delivering available video description, and making emergency information accessible.
-- Require accessible user controls for televisions and set-top boxes, and easy access to closed captioning and video description.
-- Creates a clearinghouse of information on accessible products and services, with public education and outreach.
-- Provide for better enforcement and more accountability in the complaints process.
-- Establishes some Advisory Councils that must include people with disabilities in developing the objectives and protocols for accessibility of Internet-enabled TV and phone technologies.
S. 3304 will now go to the House of Representatives for its vote. Advocates support and expect the House to pass S. 3304 on August 10. Then on to the President for his signature.
For more information, see the section-by-section summary of what S. 3304 (as amended) will do: http://www.coataccess.org/node/9776
From AAPD's Justice for All blog. Pictured is Ken Harrenstien, who is on a team at Google that developed automatic closed captions for Internet videos.
