[Nfbk] FW: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Obama Poised To Sign Video Description Bill

[Cathy]

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From: nfbaffiliatepresidents-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfbaffiliatepresidents-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of Sundling
Selena J
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 8:13 AM
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Subject: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Obama Poised To Sign Video Description
Bill


Obama Poised To Sign Video Description Bill By Kim McAvoy TVNewsCheck,
September 29, 2010 3:26 AM EDT Within two weeks, President Obama is
expected to sign into law legislation authorizing the FCC to adopt rules
mandating local TV broadcasters carry video descriptions for the blind.
The measure, the Twenty-First Century Communications & Video
Accessibility Act of 2010, was adopted by the Senate in August and
passed the House last night. Once implemented, it would force the Big
Four broadcast networks and their affiliates in the top 25 markets to
provide four hours per week of primetime and children's programming with
video descriptions. It exempts live or near live programming. These
requirements will take effect one year after the bill's enactment. The
nation's top five cable TV networks would also have to provide the
service. The FCC adopted rules similar to the pending legislation in
2000, but broadcasters and program producers challenged the FCC's
authority to mandate such a service. A federal appeals court agreed and
threw out the rules in 2002. Congress is also granting the FCC authority
to increase TV stations' obligations from four to seven hours of video
descriptions per week after four years. And in six years, stations in
the top 60 DMAs would have to comply with the FCC's video description
rules. After 10 years, the FCC would be authorized to extend video
description duties to up to 10 additional DMAs each year until all 210
markets are covered. Congress also wants local TV broadcasters to make
emergency crawls audible in the top 60 DMAs. The description service
imposes some costs on program producers and broadcasters. Some TV
stations already have the necessary equipment to receive the
descriptions from their networks and broadcast it along with the regular
audio channel. But others may have to spend anywhere from $10,000 to
$25,000 to pass through the network service. The price tag could go much
higher for stations that have to make infrastructure upgrades. The
legislation also requires closed captioning of online video content and
ensures that smart phones and other digital media devices are accessible
to the deaf and blind. The measure makes it "easier for the blind and
deaf to have access to the Internet, smart phones, television
programming and other communications and video technologies," says Rep.
Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a key backer of the measure. "Whether it's a
Braille reader or a broadband connection, access to technology is not a
political issue; it's a participation issue," Markey says. "Two decades
ago, Americans with disabilities couldn't get around if buildings
weren't wheelchair accessible; today, it's about being Web accessible."
The driving force behind the legislation has been the Coalition of
Organizations for Accessible Technology, which includes the American
Foundation for the Blind, the American Council of the Blind and the
American Association of People with Disabilities. The coalition has been
pushing for the legislation for three years. "Really for the first time
blind and vision-impaired Americans will have equal access to enjoy
primetime television programming. We're not going to have to rely upon
others to understand what's going on during nonverbal parts of shows,"
says Eric Bridges of the American Council of the Blind. Bridges says the
new law would benefit between 25 million and 30 million blind and
visually impaired Americans. Copyright 2010 NewsCheckMedia LLC. All
rights reserved. This article can be found online at:

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2010/09/29/45730/obama-poised-to-sign
-video-description-bill
<http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2010/09/29/45730/obama-poised-to-sig
n-video-description-bill> 

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