[Missouri-l] Dear Colleague letter 21 century act

[Chip Hailey]

> ----Start of letter
>
> Ensure Equal Access to the New Technologies and Innovations of 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
> mark.bayer at mail.house.gov.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Edward Markey
>
>