[Electronics-talk] descriptive TV

[Gerald Levy]

Okay, so we have to wait until October, 2013 to file complaints with the 
FCC.  But has anyone examined the complaint procedure itself to ensure that 
it is blind friendly?  Government web sites such as that for the Social 
Security Administration have been notoriously difficult for blind users to 
navigate, so unless the advocacy groups ensure that the complaint process is 
totally accessible, even to blind consumers who do not have Internet access, 
then it really won't make any difference.

Gerald


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Wayland" <larry.wayland at arkansas.gov>
To: "'Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances'" 
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 2:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV


> Because they do not  know the law. Make them aware of it.
> Remember, we can't file any formal complaints with FCC until after October 
> 2013. If the companies are not in compliance Then we had better file 
> complaints or the law will be for nothing.
> Larry
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf Of Gerald Levy
> Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 9:51 AM
> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>
>
> If this is true, then why does Time Warner, my cable provider, claim that 
> it knows nothing about any legal requirement to offer accessible cable 
> boxes?
> To be perfectly blunt, I think this law is a big waste of time, and 
> absolutely nothing will come of it.  So what if the cable providers refuse 
> to comply?  Are their executives going to be arrested and prosecuted for 
> violating the civil rights of their disabled customers?  Of course not.
> Will the companies be fined?  Maybe.  And if they're fined, they'll simply 
> pass the cost along to their customers in the form of higher monthly cable 
> bills. And we blind customers will still be unable to access described 
> programming. So file all the complaints you want with the FCC if it makes 
> you feel better, but you can be sure that the fat-ass bureaucrats there 
> will simply shrug them off.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Larry Wayland" <larry.wayland at arkansas.gov>
> To: "'Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances'"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 9:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>
>
>>I believe it is the Twenty first century communications and video  act of
>>2010 that says formal complaints can be filed after October of 2013.  The
>>law was signed by the president in August of 2010 and companies have  two
>>years from that time to get their  equipment in compliance.  My
>>understanding the law includes all communications equipment. It doesn't
>>mean all models a company produces has to be accessible, but they have to
>>offer models that are.
>> Larry
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Gerald Levy
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 6:12 AM
>> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>
>>
>> So waht?  We still can't access this described programming because there
>> is no way to navigate the onscreen menus of most cable boxes and digital
>> TV's without sighted help to turn on the SAP channel that carries the
>> descriptive audio. And most remote controls no longer have a dedicated 
>> SAP
>> button, either.
>>
>> Gerald
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "A. Chew" <a1chew at hotmail.com>
>> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 9:58 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>
>>
>>> On August 25, 2011, the FCC was finally able to vote (unanimously) to
>>> reinstate video description, effective July 1, 2012.  ABC, CBS, Fox, 
>>> NBC,
>>> USA, the Disney Channel, TNT, Nickelodeon, and TBS are each required to
>>> provide 50 hours of video-described prime time or children's programming
>>> per calendar quarter.
>>>
>>> full text may be found at below link
>>> http://www.acb.org/adp/tv.html
>>>
>>> at the bottom of the linked page will be links to file a complaint with
>>> the FCC.
>>>
>>> I was surprised to received a call from Comcast a few weeks after filing
>>> a
>>> complain.
>>> issue is still open... (not resolved)  but Comcast claims they are
>>> working
>>> on it....
>>>
>>>
>>> A. Chew
>>>
>>> .
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>>> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 6:05 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> this is bad news. You're saying that time warner and
>>>> Comcast are not providing descriptive audio when its now the law.
>>>> I cannot speak for cox cable as I have not asked. But I suspect when I
>>>> do, they will have no clue.
>>>> what it is either.
>>>>
>>>> My parents can read the options on the screen and we never see
>>>> descriptive audio. So like
>>>> Mariea said, I suspect that descriptive tv doesn't exist either for me.
>>>>
>>>> If I cannot get it, is there a way to file a complaint with the FCC and
>>>> how?
>>>> Is there a way to download descriptive tv shows from online? even if 
>>>> its
>>>> paid, I'd like to have old shows.
>>>>
>>>> Ashley
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message----- 
>>>> From: Mariea Harris
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 7:04 PM
>>>> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
>>>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>>>
>>>> Time Warner Cable doesn't support audio description either. When I read
>>>> up
>>>> on audio description, it said that cable companies use analog and that
>>>> satellite uses something else, but I forget what. It seems that the 
>>>> only
>>>> way
>>>> you can get audio description here in the states is via satellite TV. 
>>>> We
>>>> turned on SAP on our TV and nothing happens. I doubt Time Warner has 
>>>> any
>>>> clue what audio description is either, so I've not bothered asking.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Mariea and Valiant
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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