[nfbmi-talk] Fw: Fw: [Blindad] Fw: TVNewsCheck Article: Obama Poised ToSignVideoDescription Bill

Fri Oct 1 12:35:26 UTC 2010

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "fred olver" <goodfolks at charter.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>; "NFB of 
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Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2010 6:20 AM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Fw: [Blindad] Fw: TVNewsCheck Article: Obama Poised 
ToSignVideoDescription Bill


>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Brad Keller" <kellerb03 at gmail.com>
> To: "Blind Ad List" <blindad at babel-fish.us>
> Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2010 5:15 AM
> Subject: [Blindad] Fw: TVNewsCheck Article: Obama Poised To 
> SignVideoDescription 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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
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