[Missouri-l] Fwd: [coataccess] August Action Alert [1 Attachment]

Tue Aug 18 13:29:49 CDT 2009

>Delivered-To: chiphailey at cableone.net
>From: "Rosaline Crawford" <rosaline.crawford at nad.org>
>Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:47:04 -0400
>Subject: [coataccess] August Action Alert [1 Attachment]
>Reply-To: coataccess at yahoogroups.com
>[Attachment(s) from Rosaline Crawford included below]
>
>August Action Alert
>
>Recently, COAT affiliate Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of 
>Hearing, Inc. (TDI) hosted a "legislative day" on Capitol Hill as 
>part of its biennial international conference in Washington, DC.  A 
>large audience of congressional staff members, industry 
>representatives, and consumers were informed about H.R. 3101, the 
>"Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 
>2009."  At the end of the briefing, TDI board members lead eager 
>groups of consumers to visit offices in the U.S. House of 
>Representatives and present information about H.R. 3101.  Many 
>consumers shared personal stories about the need for this new law to 
>ensure access to advanced communications, captioning on television 
>programs distributed on the Internet, and communication equipment 
>for people who are deaf-blind.
>
>This was an empowering event.  Ordinary people took action by 
>telling their stories about the need for access and asking members 
>of Congress to support and co-sponsor this new law.  It was 
>incredible to see grassroots in action.
>
>During the month of August, members of Congress will be in their 
>home states. Grab this opportunity to meet with your congressional 
>representatives and advocate for access.
>
>Be empowered.
>
>Learn more about H.R. 3101.
>
>You can read, print, and provide a 
><http://www.nad.org/sites/default/files/COAT%20One%20Pager%202009%20%282%29.pdf>one 
>page summary of H.R. 3101 and a 
><http://www.nad.org/sites/default/files/HR%203101%20Summary%20%282%29.pdf>section-by-section 
>summary of H.R. 3101.  The text of these documents is also available 
>on the COAT website at 
><http://www.coataccess.org/node/4624>http://www.coataccess.org/node/4624 
>and 
><http://www.coataccess.org/node/4623>http://www.coataccess.org/node/4623, 
>respectively.
>
>You can also read, print, and provide a copy of the "Dear Colleague" 
>letter that was recently sent to members of the U.S. House of 
>Representatives by Representative Ed Markey (see text below or 
>attached Word document).
>
>Take action. 
><https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml>Contact your U.S. 
>Representative. Ask about attending an event, such as a town hall 
>meeting with your Representative, or make an appointment to see your 
>Representative in your home state.
>
>Ask your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 3101 to ensure access in 
>the 21st Century.
>
>Co-Sponsor H.R. 3101, the Twenty-first Century Communications and 
>Video Accessibility Act
>
>August 12, 2009
>
>Dear Colleague:
>
>Over the last decade, we have seen a revolution in the way Americans 
>interact, learn and conduct business. However, the wizardry of the 
>wires and the sophistication of software programs do little for 
>those who cannot affordably access or effectively use them. I 
>recently introduced H.R. 3101, the Twenty-first Century 
>Communications and Video Accessibility Act, to ensure that all 
>Americans are offered equal access to these exciting and innovative 
>new technologies.
>
>H.R. 3101 would amend the Communications Act to ensure that new 
>Internet-enabled telephone and video services and equipment are 
>accessible to, and usable by, people with disabilities.  The bill 
>also closes existing gaps in telecommunications laws. From extending 
>hearing aid compatibility and Internet closed captioning to 
>real-time text support for emergency services, H.R. 3101 seeks to 
>provide a smooth migration to the next-generation of Internet-based 
>and digital communication technologies.
>
>             The guiding principle of the Twenty-first Century 
> Communications and Video Accessibility Act is to bring existing 
> federal laws requiring communications and video programming 
> accessibility up to date, to fill in any accessibility gaps, and to 
> ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all 
> aspects of daily living through accessible, affordable and usable 
> communication and video programming technologies.  H.R. 3101 would:
>    * Extend federal law that currently requires hearing aid 
> compatibility (HAC) on newly manufactured and imported telephones 
> to comparable IP-compatible equipment (CPE) used to provide 
> Internet-enabled voice communication service.  The purpose of this 
> provision is to ensure that people with hearing loss have access to 
> telephone devices with a built-in speaker (typically held to the 
> ear) used with advanced technologies.
>
>  Clarify that telecommunications relay services (TRS) are intended 
> to ensure that people who have hearing or speech disabilities can 
> use relay services to engage in functionally equivalent telephone 
> communication with all other people, not just people without a 
> hearing or speech disability
>
>    * Require advanced communications service providers and 
> manufacturers to make their services and equipment accessible to 
> and usable by people with disabilities unless doing so would result 
> in an undue burden
>
>    * Add new measures to improve the accountability and enforcement 
> of these new disability safeguards, including reporting obligations 
> for industry and the FCC, directives for new FCC complaint 
> procedures, and clarification of FCC penalties for non-compliance
>
>    * Direct the FCC to conduct inquiries on a variety of topics, 
> including ways to transmit closed captioning and video description 
> on video programming exhibited on new technologies, including 
> Internet protocol and digital wireless services and equipment; ways 
> to make televised emergency information accessible to people who 
> are blind or visually impaired; and ways to make user interfaces 
> and related on-screen menus or visual indicators on video 
> programming apparatus used for the navigation or selection of video 
> programming accessible.
>
>    * Expand existing closed captioning requirements to video 
> programming apparatus of all sizes and require that such apparatus 
> also deliver video description.
>
>    * Direct the FCC to establish a schedule of deadlines for video 
> described programs.  Those rules, originally promulgated in 2001, 
> were struck down by a U.S. Court of Appeals for lack of FCC authority.
>
>    * Require the FCC to issue regulations for video programming 
> providers and owners and multichannel video programming 
> distributors to make their video programming information and 
> selection accessible to people who are unable to read the visual 
> display, so that these individuals can make program selections in real-time.
>
>
>This bill would not be an economic burden on the industry and 
>consumers, just as similar assertions raised against hearing aid 
>compatibility or against the closed captioning bill I sponsored and 
>successfully battled to make law in 1990 proved to be erroneous. In 
>that debate, we were told that mandating closed captioning was 
>overly burdensome and would cost a fortune. Today, that law is 
>indispensable, and the update this new bill would provide will be 
>equally indispensable.
>
>
>
>Current co-sponsors of H.R. 3101 are:  Barbara Lee, Linda Sanchez, 
>Stark, Israel, Tim Ryan, Van Hollen
>
>
>If you have questions or would like to co-sponsor, please have a 
>member of your staff contact Mark Bayer on my staff at 5-2836 or 
><mailto:mark.bayer at mail.house.gov>mark.bayer at mail.house.gov.
>
>
>
>                                                             Sincerely,
>
>
>
>                                                             Edward Markey
>
>
>__._,_.___