Captioning

NAD Statement July 22, 2010.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) applauds and thanks the House Energy and Commerce Committee for voting favorably on July 21, 2010, for the “Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010” (H.R. 3101).  Next, H.R. 3101 will be voted on by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  After that, the NAD will ask the U.S. Senate to promptly pass H.R. 3101.

July 21, 2010, Washington, D.C.-–COAT applauds and thanks the House Energy & Commerce Committee for its  vote today for H.R. 3101, the "Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010." Less than a week away from the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the measure would update the nation’s communications laws to ensure that new TV and phone technologies are accessible to people with disabilities. 

On Thursday July 15, 2010, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation held an 'executive session' where they adopted "The Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act," S. 3304, part of a package of bills and amendments considered.

July 9, 2010. COAT leaders travel out-of-town to discuss H.R.3101 and S.3304 at the national conferences of leading COAT organizations.

On July 7, 2010, COAT sent Comments (read here) to the FCC in regard to the proposed merger of Comcast with GE and NBC Universal. Our comments addressed the need for the merged corporation to provide leadership in accessibility and usability across its video products and services companies.   For instance, COAT expects more captioning and video description, accessible and usable equipment and interfaces, accessible phone services, and customer serv

On June 30, 2010, almost one hundred people attended the long-awaited markup of H.R.

June 29, 2010. COAT is pleased to see a markup of H.R. 3101 has been scheduled. The House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet will meet in open markup session on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, to consider H.R. 3101, the “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009.” TV monitors will display captions. The markup will also be streamed live online with captions.  More info will be posted at http://bit.ly/9E3upA.

On June 20, 2010 the New York Times included a story about lack of captioning online. Entitled, "On Web Video, Captions Are Coming Slowly," by Brian Stelter, the article focuses on how closed-captioning is mandatory on television, but not for TV programs on the Internet.

“We do not want to be left behind as television moves to the Internet,” said Rosaline Crawford, the director of the law and advocacy center for the National Association of the Deaf, a leading COAT affiliate.