[Nfbmo] Fw: [Blindad] Fw: TVNewsCheck Article: Obama Poised To SignVideoDescription Bill

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----- 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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